A WOMAN who refused to eat solid food until she was 15 was found dead in her bed after choking on her own vomit, an inquest has heard.
Tia-Mae McCarthy, 26, baffled the medical world as a youngster as she refused to eat and was subsequently peg fed until she was a teenager.
PooleCoastguard/BournemouthNewsTia (pictured here age 10) gained fame for her inability to eat solid food until she was 15 years old[/caption]
BournemouthNewsShe tragically died after choking on her own vomit in bed, an inquest was told[/caption]
Despite being the subject of a TV documentary as her mum Sue looked for answers to her quirk, Tia-Mae suddenly started eating solid foods in her teens, before adopting a perfectly normal diet and appetite at 15.
Tragically, however, her life was cut short after she was found unresponsive in her bed at her family home in Alderholt, Dorset, on April 28.
An inquest into her death heard today that aspiration – foreign material such as food or liquid getting into the airway – was a common risk factor of the surgery she had as a child.
The court heard that this ultimately led to her death.
Tia-Mae had been suffering a “rattly” cough for about a week before her death, the inquest in Bournemouth was told.
As a result, her step-dad Jason Allman had propped her up with extra pillows the night before she died – in order to help her cough and breathing issues.
A post-mortem exam found vomit in Tia-Mae’s main and peripheral airways, with stomach fluid and remnants of the mac and cheese she had consumed for dinner the night before.
The inquest heard that Tia-Mae had undergone vital oesophageal surgery as a child but that this increased her risk for aspiration.
Her risk meant she could suffer from aspiration “at any time”, with her cause of death being listed as aspiration due to gastro-oesophogeal surgical procedure (post operation).
Tia-Mae was born 12 weeks premature, weighed a minuscule 2lb 3oz and had a rare congenital disorder – oesophageal atresia – which meant her oesophagus and stomach did not connect.
Despite spending much of her first year of life in hospital – including an operation when she was three months old to move her stomach into her chest – Tia went on to live at home with her family.
While she did have other disabilities, there was no medical reason post-surgery to why she could not eat solid food.
Experts were left baffled by the case but mum Sue believes it was a psychological problem that stemmed from the early months of Tia’s life.
This included occasions where the young girl stopped breathing and had to be resuscitated.
Despite her family’s efforts to try and get Tia to eat solid food, she didn’t budge.
A 2006 documentary titled The Girl Who Never Ate sees a seven-year-old Tia and her mum travel to a specialist clinic in Austria to see if they could solve her eating issues.
The controversial research programme even included periods of controlled starvation.
However, after turning ten, Tia began to suddenly show an interest in food.
Sue recalled being amazed when her daughter wilfully accepted an offer to eat some yoghurt.
From this point on, she began to eat all kinds of soft foods, including soup, custard, ice cream and mousse.
Eventually, the tube she had once relied on to keep her alive was removed in December 2012.
Just years later aged 15, she finally adopted a normal diet, with salmon, venison and scallops among her new favourite foods.
A dietician still monitored her, ensuring her weight was in-check and to see if any additional supplements were needed.
Since Tia had learning difficulties, she could not live independently and continued to stay at home with her mum.
However, this didn’t stop her enjoying riding horses, and Tia also attended an adult day centre.
Tia died as a consequence of a recognised risk factor associated with a previous surgical procedure and that death was unnatural
Coroner Brendan Allen
Reading a statement from Mr Allman, coroner Brendan Allen said: “About a week before Tia had a cough, which was not odd for her due to her underlying health conditions.
“On April 27, Tia seemed fine. She asked for mac and cheese for dinner. I though her cough was a bit croaky, she sounded a bit wheezy.
“I put extra pillows on her bed so she could sit up a bit. I went back upstairs about 10.30pm, she was dozing but she was alright. I propped her up a bit, I heard her coughing occasionally.”
Tia’s mum called the GP surgery the following morning to make an appointment for her cough, but when she went to the bedroom Tia was unresponsive
She called 999 and attempted CPR but she could not be revived.
Mr Allen said: “The surgical procedure left her at an increased risk of aspiration.
“I find she died as a consequence of a recognised risk factor associated with a previous surgical procedure and that death was unnatural.”
BournemouthNewsTia died at her family home in Alderholt, Dorset, in April[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
