Rhea said she was just getting out of the shower – then her aunty ‘heard a bang’
A first-year university student collapsed in the shower and died while on holiday in Paris, moments after saying she was fine.
Rhea Hourigan was visiting her aunt for a few days last month, and after hiring electric bikes and having “the most wonderful day”, died of a cardiac arrest.
According to a Gofundme page set up to help the 19-year-old Durham University student’s family, the cause of the cardiac arrest is unknown and her family are “utterly devastated”.
Polly Townhill, best friend of Rhea’s mother Jo, told The Mirror: “She’d (Rhea) got in the shower and she was getting ready to go to bed.
“She’d been there for quite a long time, so her Auntie knocked to say, ‘Is everything all right you coming out?’ She answered her, Rhea said: ‘Yeah, yeah, I’m on my way out.’ Then she heard a bang…”
Rhea, a Business, Management and Marketing undergraduate, was said to be “thriving” at Uni and had returned home to Birmingham for Easter, before visiting her aunt for a break she was “so looking forward to”.
Rhea’s mum, Jo, wrote on Facebook that her daughter had “so many plans, dreams and aspirations” and was the family’s “bright shining star”.
“She hadn’t even finished her first year of uni which she absolutely loved up in Durham and had made so many good friends,” Jo wrote.
“Our only comfort is that she was so happy and had had such a brilliant day seeing the sights of Paris, she wouldn’t have known what had happened and didn’t suffer.”
The gofundme page notes that Rhea’s family has returned from Paris but she is still there while an autopsy is done next week.
Polly told the Mirror that Rhea had full travel insurance “but it hasn’t covered what they need”.
“There’s so much red tape over there and they have to treat her death as mitigating circumstances. It would still be a tragedy without this, but her parents cannot see their child until the autopsy is done. They are desperate to bring her home.”
The gofundme page concludes:”Their friends and family wanted to reach out and help as much as they can to ease the financial burden a little with any costs they will be incurring during this devastating time and the coming weeks and months.
“I totally understand times are tough for everyone at the moment but anything at all you may be able to spare to help this very special family in their time of need would be so much appreciated.”
As of Friday afternoon, almost £24,000 had been donated. The goal is £40k.
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