AN OXFORD woman who nearly died after developing sepsis following breast enhancement surgery in Poland has been awarded more than £150,000.
Laura Donald, from Oxford, underwent breast augmentation surgery and thigh liposuction in Wroclaw and subsequently fell ill with sepsis.
The 35-year-old then underwent reconstructive surgery after returning to the UK.
Following a trial, a High Court judge has ruled that surgeon Dr Adam Kalecinski, and his company Noa Clinic Uslugi Medyczne, was responsibe for Mrs Donald’s injuries.
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Mrs Donald, the wife of former Sunderland AFC chairman Stewart Donald, was awarded £92,497.47 for future losses and expenses, £34,684.71 damages for pain, suffering and loss of amenity and £27,891.99 for past losses – a total of more £155,000.
Mrs Donald travelled to Poland for the surgery in January 2015 after saving for years for the treatment.
The mother of three said: “The pain and discomfort I felt came on pretty soon after the surgery and continued to get worse.
“By the following day, I was in agony and felt feverish. I told the nurse who came to change my dressings how poorly I was feeling but she just said I was fine.
“My condition got worse, and I don’t really know how I got back on the flight home.
“Fortunately, when I landed my family took me straight to hospital where I was diagnosed with sepsis.
“I can’t remember much about initially being in hospital as I was that poorly, but my family have said I was critically ill.
“However, overcoming sepsis wasn’t the end of it. The last few years have been a nightmare.
“I’ve undergone a lot of further operations, including skin grafting and revision surgery. The whole experience has been terribly upsetting.
“If I’d have known then what I do now I wouldn’t have booked the trip. I didn’t book it on a whim and spent months looking into various options.
“Nothing will change what happened to me or make up for nearly dying, but I’m thankful that I’ve got justice for what happened.”
Cheryl Palmer-Hughes, a partner at law firm Irwin Mitchell, which represented Mrs Donald, said after the hearing: “What happened to Laura cannot be downplayed. She was close to death after developing her infection as a result of the substandard care she received abroad.
“While Laura has overcome sepsis, she’s required a number of revision surgeries to try and rectify the complications she’s been left with.
“While nothing can make up for what she’s been through, we’re pleased to have secured the answers Laura deserved.
“This court finding will hopefully provide some closure and allow Laura to move on from what happened to her the best she can.”
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