Woman fights for life on Greek holiday with air conditioning or hot tub to blame

21 June 2025, 13:17

A 57-year-old woman has been put into an induced coma in Crete after becoming severely ill, with the cause possibly being a hot tub or the air conditioning.

A woman who was on a trip to Crete in Greece with her husband and two friends was rushed to hospital after becoming seriously ill, and put in an induced coma.

Donna Jobling, of west Hull, is in intensive care at Venizeleio Hospital in Heraklion, Crete, with the cause of illness unknown.

Doctors initially told family it was "touch and go whether she would survive", according to the Mirror.

The 57-year-old had been enjoying the Greek sunshine when she began to feel unwell on June 5.

Mrs Jobling suffered from a chest infection and two days later became seriously ill and she was rushed to hospital, where doctors put her in an induced coma on 11 June.

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Tests then confirmed she had Legionnaires' disease brought on by Legionella pneumophila, Donna's niece, Claire, told Hull Live.

According to the NHS, Legionnaires' disease is a lung infection you can get from inhaling droplets of water from things like contaminated air conditioning systems or hot tubs.

Mrs Jobling's infection triggered acute respiratory failure and pneumonia, her family said, and they are now wishing for her recovery.

Claire, 42, said: "We are all devastated and beside ourselves."

She added: "We were told it was touch and go whether she would survive. We are all praying for her. She is stable but under constant watch. We flew out there but had to come back because of work and family commitments. I'm still waiting for documents but will go back with them as soon as I have them."

Husband Sidney, a former police officer, remains by Donna's bedside with Claire describing her auntie as "like a mother to us all".

"It is quite strict in the intensive care unit," Claire admitted. "You only get 30 minutes to visit. But she is well looked after."

Paula and Nicholas, who also went on the £1,500-per-couple holiday, returned to Hull on June 12 and said the illness came out of nowhere.

EasyJet Holidays, with whom the couples travelled, have moved other customers out of the hotel they were staying in.A spokesperson said: " We’re so sorry to hear that Ms Jobling is unwell, and we’re continuing to support her and her family in every way we can.

“As soon as we were made aware of reports of illness, we immediately took action and contacted customers who were already staying in the hotel, or due to travel in the next four weeks, to provide alternative hotel options.

"We’ve also been in touch with customers who recently returned home from this hotel, to inform them of necessary guidance. Our customers’ safety and wellbeing is our top priority, and we’ll continue to do all we can to support them.”

It is understood that the hotel is currently working with local health authorities on the island.