Brit dad-of-two killed in cruise ship horror by fatal norovirus outbreak
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A dad-of-two died after he fell seriously ill with norovirus while on board a cruise ship. Alan Forster passed away from suspected kidney failure after he was struck down with the illness while on the cruise with his wife. The 77-year-old set off on a month-long trip from Southampton to New York onboard the P&O Arcadia Cruise with his spouse Dianna.
But two weeks into their dream voyage Alan fell ill, after the ship had docked in New York. The dad from Paignton suffered diarrhea, stomach cramps and vomiting. The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has since confirmed there was an outbreak of norovirus on the ship. Almost 100 other passengers reported symptoms of the bug, with many quarantined to their cabins.
Following his tragic death Alan’s family are now working with specialist lawyers to get to the bottom of what happened and find answers. Dianna, 79, said: “Alan was the most loving husband and dad. We were looking forward to many more years together but that’s been taken away in the cruellest of ways.
“We couldn’t wait to board the Arcadia and start our holiday. We’d been on 47 cruises before and had planned more for the future. It’s less than two months since we lost him and every day since then has been filled with grief and pain. I still can’t – and don’t want to - accept my beloved husband is gone.
“It was me who wanted to go on the cruise. I blame myself. If it wasn’t for me, he’d still be here.". Alan was transported to the ship’s medical bay and put on a drip when his symptoms became worse. Dianna said she had tried to raise the alarm about his condition earlier but medical treatment was not offered, nor were the couple given any assistance in dealing with the symptoms - with the exception of a nurse attending the room to lift Alan from the floor when he collapsed.
