Parents learn heartbreaking truth after 'healthy' boy, 9, collapses and dies on Egypt holiday
Parents learn heartbreaking truth after 'healthy' boy, 9, collapses and dies on Egypt holiday
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The parents of a nine-year-old boy who tragically died after collapsing while on holiday in Egypt have learnt the heartbreaking truth about his cause of death. Mattia Cossettini was visiting the Egyptian resort town of Marsa Alam with his younger brother and their parents when the tragedy unfolded on January 5. The family, who had travelled to Egypt on January 2 for a one-week break, were on a boat trip when Mattia suddenly collapsed.
After he regained consciousness, the child complained about a severe headache, so his parents took him to the medical staff at the resort where they were staying for the week. After being diagnosed with heatstroke, Mattia was placed on an IV drip. He was given various medications and was later sent to his room. However, his condition worsened during the night as he began experiencing vomiting, headaches and seizures, so he was taken to A&E. He was pronounced dead in the early hours of January 6.
According to Egyptian newspaper Ahram, the Red Sea Health Directorate announced on Friday that Mattia suffered from a pre-existing brain tumour that was exacerbated by pneumonia, which ultimately led to complete cardiac arrest on Monday. The directorate said that Mattia arrived at the Marsa Alam One-Day Surgery Hospital in a critical condition, which was described as "a state of complete unconsciousness and clinical death.".
A CT scan was conducted at the hospital, revealing a brain haemorrhage caused by the tumour, Ahram reported. The newspaper said medical teams worked to drain fluid from the child's airways and performed several attempts at cardiac resuscitation, which were unsuccessful, and Mattia tragically passed away. The directorate wrote in a statement shared on Facebook: "The death was caused by complications from a brain tumour, which the child had already been suffering from before travelling to Egypt.".
