Heartbroken Sheffield mum pays tribute to ‘amazing and beautiful’ daughter who died from allergic reaction to ‘tooth mousse’
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Abigail Gibbs was two weeks away from her 21st birthday when she died after suffering the allergic reaction to a prescribed dental mousse she was using to protect her teeth.
The Sheffield Hallam University student, who was in the third year of a biochemistry degree, was getting ready for a night out with friends to see the illuminations at Matlock Bath when tragedy struck last October.
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Hide AdHer shocked mum, Lisa Phelan, discovered her daughter’s lifeless body in the home they shared in Handsworth and performed CPR in a desperate bid to revive Abigail before paramedics arrived, but she could not be saved.
Now, Lisa wants a defibrillator installed in their community to help save the lives of others in need.
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Hide AdShe hopes to install the device at McDonald’s in Handsworth, where Abigail worked part-time as she studied for her degree.
“Nobody could have predicted this, nobody knew it was going to happen, there was nothing that anyone could have done. But what we can do is something positive in Abigail’s memory as a lasting legacy,” she said.
“Abigail always wanted to help people, she wanted to go into cancer research, so a defibrillator in the local community she loved and where she knew so many people would be fitting.”
Abigail’s family hopes to raise £1,000 for the defibrillator but if more can be raised a second life-saving device would be donated to Abigail’s university.
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Hide AdAn online ‘Just Giving’ page has been set up, with £825 donated so far.
Abigail’s heartbroken mum, Lisa, said: “One minute Abigail was laughing and joking and taking selfies with the dog and getting ready to meet her friends, and two or three minutes later she was dead.
“It is unbelievable how life can change just like that.
“If you think you can imagine what it is like to lose someone like this so suddenly, multiply it a million times.”
Paying tribute to her beloved daughter, Lisa said: “She was amazing, she was really funny, witty, full of one liners and had so many friends.
“She was also beautiful and loved life, especially uni.
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Hide Ad“She would give anything a go and was always on the go. She would never let an opportunity to try something pass her by. She loved life and lived it to the full.”
Click HERE to donate in Abigail’s memory.
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