It’s a tragic story. But could it have been prevented?
Kirsty Derry was 120kg, morbidly obese, and addicted to food.
Placed into an assisted living facility called Victoria Mews in Stone, Staffordshire, her family believed that her insatiable appetite was being regularly monitored.
However, after just nine months in the facility, Kirsty died from pulmonary oedema (fluid in her lungs) which was thought to be caused by excessive eating.
Kristy reportedly gained 44 kilograms in the nine months she was living at Victoria Mews.
According to The Sentinal, the 23-year-old suffered from a rare genetic disorder called Prader-Willi Syndrome. Prader-Willi Syndrome causes sufferers to have issues in growth and development and “excessive eating, which often leads to obesity”.
At an inquiry into Kristy’s death, her mother Julie Fallows spoke about her concerns leading up to her daughter’s death.
Julie said: “When she went there I expected one-to-one support between 8am to 10pm. When she first arrived, there were alarms fitted to the cupboards and fridge. But at some point that technology was removed without our knowledge. Often we couldn’t find any staff when we visited.
According to staff at the facility, alarms that were fitted to Kirsty’s fridge in order to curb her appetite were turned off by Kirsty because they “annoyed” her.
According to UK press, Kirsty was deemed mentally capable of making decisions for herself.
However, The Telegraph reported that an inquest found “she was allowed to gorge on chocolate and ice cream.”