Ashley Timbery, 29, had no worrying symptoms before she suddenly collapsed after losing feelings in her legs.
After undergoing tests, medics found a dangerous bacteria had left one of her lungs “covered in holes”.
With the infection going undetected for weeks, Ashley passed away just days after being diagnosed.
Her cousin said Ashley just felt a bit tired and her body ached before falling ill at her home in Nowra in New South Wales, Australia on February 15.
She also had a couple of boils but thought nothing of them.
After being rushed to Shoalhaven District Memorial Hospital, Ashley was put into an induced coma.
Tests revealed she had a “severe” infection, but her family didn’t find out it was methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) until 10 days later when Ashley was moved to St George Hospital in Sydney.
MRSA is a type of staph bacteria that usually lives harmlessly on the skin.
But when it gets inside the body, it can cause a serious infection that needs immediate treatment, according to the NHS.
Ashley’s infection had triggered pneumonia, a lung inflammation which can be fatal.
“Doctors seemed to think that she might have had the pneumonia for maybe a few weeks before she went to hospital, but she never got it treated and obviously didn’t know it was pneumonia,” her cousin Shantelle Locke stated.
“The doctors showed us a CT scan showing a normal lung. Then they showed us hers and it was just covered in holes,” Shantelle said.
“The bug was attacking her organs. Unfortunately, we caught it too late.
“She got pneumonia and that ultimately killed her.”
Ashley died on February 29. Her family are attempting to raise money through GoFundMe.
Friends and relatives described her as a “hilarious” and “fun-loving” woman.
