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British tourist warns of severe illness after Gran Canaria holiday
Retired teacher spent 12 days in intensive care with Legionnaires’ disease
A British holidaymaker has spoken out after a dream break in Gran Canaria left her fighting for her life in hospital. Retired teacher Juliet Leith says the £2,000 trip she had been looking forward to turned into a medical emergency that almost killed her.Leith travelled to a four-star resort in Gran Canaria with her sister Maureen on Thursday September 18 2025. Just four days into the holiday she began to feel unwell, developing flu like symptoms, joint pain and shortness of breath. She was taken to a nearby hospital, where tests confirmed she had Legionnaires’ disease, a rare but potentially serious lung infection that can be caught by breathing in tiny water droplets from sources such as air conditioning units, hot tubs or showers that are not used regularly.
Her condition deteriorated rapidly despite admission to hospital. Doctors placed the 58 year old in an induced coma for four days and told her daughters that the illness could be fatal. Leith says she had not understood how ill she was when she first arrived at the clinic, thinking she had “flu like symptoms” rather than a life threatening infection. Looking back, she sums up the experience starkly: “I nearly died.”
What has stayed with her most is the impact on her family. “The hardest part was knowing my children had seen me like that,” she explains. Although she was eventually able to return home, she says she still suffers from the after effects of the illness, including memory loss. “I never imagined Legionnaires’ disease could be so serious, and I think there needs to be more awareness about its symptoms and how dangerous it can be,” she adds.
Her case comes at a time when some British tourists are questioning whether the Canary Islands feel as safe and straightforward a choice as in the past. For Leith, the holiday she had hoped would be a relaxing escape instead became a stark reminder of how quickly health problems can turn any trip upside down.
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Image: Miltiadis Fragkidis/Unsplash
