Ceri Ball was the ‘glue of the family’ according to her loved ones
A family have told of their heartbreak after a ‘beloved’ mum and grandma choked to death on a piece of steak while on holiday in Spain.
Ceri Ball, 74, died on Friday, October 17. She and her husband, Glyn, 77, were visiting Peñíscola, a Spanish coastal town where they have a holiday home, when she choked to death at a restaurant.
Ceri, of Newport, South Wales, was treated by paramedics at the scene after waiters and waitresses performed the Heimlich manoeuvre. After around 20 minutes they got the food out of Ceri’s throat and then transferred her to the Comarcal de Vinaròs Hospital, where she was put on life-support.
But as Ceri’s two daughters were on the plane heading to be with her their mother’s heart gave out and she was pronounced dead at the hospital. Doctors and nurses worked tirelessly to try to save her but the damage to her body was “too severe,” said daughter Lisa Lisseman.
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Lisa said: “It was too long – she had not been breathing for 20 minutes by the time they resuscitated her. My parents had gone out, had a lovely day, and went out for a meal. Mum took a mouthful and it got stuck in her throat.
“She choked on a piece of steak and was almost immediately unconscious. Dad said she was unconscious in seconds and everyone tried to help her.
“The waiter tried to help her and someone phoned an ambulance. It wasn’t like the UK where you have to wait for hours – it arrived in minutes.
“They eventually got the food out but she had just been starved of oxygen for too long. They tried to keep her on machines overnight for me and my sister to get over to Spain and we didn’t make it.
“We are all in total agony. My mum was the glue of our family. She had such a kind heart and she was so proud of her family.
“She was, and is, adored by my dad. My mum was 17 when they met – they spent 57 years together and he is just lost now. They were soulmates. They had a relationship we all wanted to find – you wouldn’t see one without the other.
Lisa and her family had to reach out to The Repatriation Services Trust to get their mother’s body home. The bereavement charity was founded by Linda and Steve Bassett following the death of their son, Tom Bassett, who tragically died in 2017 while visiting Dubai after being hit by a drink-driver.
To give back Lisa has set up a GoFundMe and hopes to raise £2,000 for the charity that has helped them bear the burden of this tragic event. To donate click here.
Lisa said: “They’ve been so amazing. I contacted Steve and he asked what we needed help with and without further question he said: ‘Sorted’ and they’ve taken that financial strain from us.
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“Dad had savings but not enough for life. Without help from this charity all of our savings would have been wiped. It is difficult to put into words how much their support meant to us all and we want to help them continue in their selfless quest.”
Lisa, her sister Helen, and father Glyn are all “heartbroken.” They hope to return from Spain, alongside their mother, on Friday.