A grieving
mother who claims her daughter may have been killed by chewing gum has
won a four-year battle to have an inquest held into the teenager's
death.
Samantha Jenkins, 19, collapsed and died suddenly after complaining of a headache at home in Llanelli, South Wales in June 2011.
A
post-mortem found that she had died of 'natural causes' - but also
suggested that her death could have been linked to the consumption of
chewing gum.
Her
mother Maria Morgan, 45, has spent four years campaigning for a full
inquest which will finally explain the mystery of her daughter's death.
And next week, her ambition will finally be realised as a full hearing into the tragedy begins at last.
Describing
how Samantha suddenly fell ill, Mrs Morgan said: 'She had complained of
feeling unwell that day and told me she felt a headache coming on and
had pins and needles.
She went upstairs that night and suddenly shouted down to me, "Is this what it feels like to die? I feel paralysed."
'The next thing we knew, there was a thud and she was on the floor. It all happened so quickly, it was absolutely horrible.'
The
teenage shop worker was rushed to hospital, but doctors were unable to
save her and she died in her mother's arms three days later.
Mystery: Samantha's sudden death might have been linked to chewing gum, according to a pathologist
After
a pathologist carried out a post-mortem investigation, it was concluded
that Samantha died of natural causes and there was therefore no need
for a full inquest.
In a report, the pathologist suggest that Samantha had suffered a swelling in her brain due to a lack of salt in her system.
The
pathologist added that low salt levels can be caused by severe
diarrhoea, and excessive consumption of chewing gum 'may have played a
role' in making Samantha ill.
One
sweetener often used in chewing gum is sorbitol, which is also used as a
laxative, while aspartame, another common sweetener, has previously
been linked to serious health problems.
Mrs
Morgan said: 'The pathologist said a bout of diarrhoea could have
caused her salt levels to dip so low it caused her brain to swell.
'His report said chewing gum may have played a role in inducing the diarrhoea.
'It
seems absolutely ridiculous that Sam could have died from chewing gum.
But I want to find out the truth - I want to solve the mystery of my
daughter's death.'
Inquest: A hearing next week is set to investigate why Samantha collapsed and died
Sorbitol
is used to sweeten a variety of sugar-free snacks, including diet
drinks and many types of chewing gum, but in a more concentrated form
doctors also use it as a laxative.
A
study in 2008 warned that consuming too much sugar-free chewing gum can
lead to excessive weight loss and diarrhoea thanks to an overdose of
sorbitol.
The
report in the British Medical Journal gave details of two patients, a
man and a woman who each ate around 20 sticks of gum and ended up
becoming underweight and suffering severe stomach pains.
In
2012, an Italian woman died after being given sorbitol by her doctor
which appeared to have come from a contaminated batch supplied by a
UK-based firm.
Aspartame,
one of the most common types of sweetener, has been the focus of
massive controversy despite doctors' insistence that it is perfectly
safe.
Pepsi
announced this week that it would no longer use the chemical in its
diet drinks after customers shunned the product over allegations it
might be linked to cancer.
