It was just a scratch. Among all the feelings and thoughts that she has had to wrestle with since the summer, disbelief is the emotion that Robyn Thomson still struggles with the most. “You never think it would happen to you,” said Robyn. “You don’t really think it happens to anyone.”
Robyn’s mother, Yvonne Ford, had shown no signs of illness in the months after returning from her holiday in Morocco in February. She had spoken highly of the country and its people, and recommended it for future getaways. She had not realised that a seemingly harmless interaction with a puppy while sitting in the sun would cause so much damage.
The signs of Yvonne’s illness remained dormant for months until June, when she began to have flu-like symptoms. The headaches and fever that followed rapidly became more severe and the 59-year-old soon lost the ability to walk or eat.
Robyn, a trained nurse, did not know what was causing her mother’s sickness, nor did her doctors. By the time she was admitted to hospital and diagnosed with rabies, there was nothing anyone could do to save Yvonne’s life.
Robyn hopes to travel next to Malawi, another rabies hotspot, to help immunise dogs there. Photograph: Robyn Thomson
“It didn’t feel real,” said Robyn, recalling her disbelief that such a small mark could have brought her world crashing down. “I remember thinking it had to be something else, she hadn’t been bitten or attacked.”
When Yvonne died on 11 June, she became only the seventh person since 2000 to die in the UK from rabies, a virus transmitted through saliva that causes brain inflammation. Outside the UK, however, about 60,000 die from rabies every year, with the virus almost always proving fatal once symptoms develop. In memory of her mother, Robyn has sworn to bring that number down to zero by 2030.
Yvonne, a Barnsley native, died in hospital in Sheffield. “They have an infectious diseases specialist area and one of the consultants there knows the CEO from Mission Rabies,” Robyn said. “He got in touch with me and asked if I was interested in doing anything with their group and I just said absolutely. It felt like something I had to do, I felt like I needed to do something to help and make a difference.”
Vaccinating 70% of a local dog population against rabies should be enough to break the cycle of transmission. Photograph: Robyn Thomson
Partnering with Mission Rabies, Robyn has committed herself to travelling abroad and immunising dogs in countries where the disease is prevalent. She believes that because “it’s on the other side of the world, people don’t care that much, you don’t see it in the newspapers or on the TV because it doesn’t affect people here. But it affects people somewhere and that’s why we’re doing this.”
Her first stop was Cambodia, where she and her husband, Andrew, volunteered in October. The goal, the couple say, is to immunise 70% of the local dog population, which should break the cycle of transmission. It was a lot of work, but the couple kept themselves motivated by seeing who could deliver the most vaccines each day.
“It became a bit of a challenge to see who could get the most dogs done between us,” said Robyn, who could not recall who won. “It’s a bit of a blur because we did so many. We had a target this year that was 10,000 dogs in one day, which we achieved, and it’s a record for the most dogs ever immunised in one area.”
The couple’s plan to visit Malawi next year is dependent on fundraising, but Robyn hopes that, in memory of her mother, they have created a new annual tradition.
“I’d love it to be a thing we do every year, helping different people every time,” she said. “I want to turn what happened into a positive, and I want to help people like Mum.”
Luke Gamble, the chief executive of Mission Rabies who first contacted Robyn, has lauded the work that she and her husband have done, and praised them for turning their grief into something that helps other people.
“Both Robyn and Andrew have been an inspiration to all of us. They worked tirelessly and were a huge asset to the charity,” he said. “This isn’t easy work – it’s going door to door, from dawn until dusk in intense heat, to reach every dog we can. I’m so incredibly grateful to them and all the other amazing volunteers who make this possible.”
