A north Belfast grandmother who fell seriously ill in Dubai after travelling to help her pregnant daughter has died.
Lesley Poots, who was originally from the Ballysillan area, developed sepsis after getting a stomach infection upon arriving in the United Arab Emirates in September.
The 58-year-old had travelled to Dubai to support her daughter Lauren, who had experienced a “challenging” pregnancy.
She took ill and was initially admitted to hospital before being released, but was later found unresponsive in bed and was rushed to hospital again. She was placed in intensive care and it was established she had organ failure.
An online fundraising campaign to cover her medical bills was launched by Lesley’s family, as she had not taken out medical insurance due to the last-minute nature of her trip.
The GoFundMe campaign raised over £90,000, while community fundraising events were also held to help the family.
However, Lesley sadly passed away last Wednesday, October 16.
A death notice describes her as the “much loved mother of Lisa and husband Willie, Lauren and husband Robbie, Robyn and husband Andy, Jack and partner Bianca”.
It adds she is the “treasured sister of Janice, partner Harry and families, Alison and families”, the “beloved partner of John” and “cherished nanny of Craig, Lennox, Lillie, Layla, Artie and Ruby”.
In a statement posted to social media, a family spokesperson said: “While we spend time together as a family we are making arrangements to give Lesley the beautiful send off she deserves.
“I want to thank everyone for their support through the past few weeks as the community really helped us through the unimaginable, we will never forget everything you have all done for our family.”
A service of thanksgiving for Lesley will take place at the West Kirk Presbyterian Church on the Shankill Road on October 28.
