Woman hospitalised after box jellyfish attack in Thailand
An Australian woman hospitalised after a horror incident at a holiday hotspot has made a desperate plea to travellers.
A woman has made a desperate plea to holidaymakers to stay safe while swimming after a horror run-in with a jellyfish left her hospitalised for more than a month.
Queenslander Zoe Cahill, 23, was stung by a box jellyfish just 50m from shore while holidaying at Zen Beach at Ko Pha Ngan, an island in Thailand, in October.
Ms Cahill described feeling “every drop of jellyfish venom vibrate” through her body, with her heart, lungs, and kidneys sustaining “permanent damage”.
“Permanent stings across my chest, arms and legs sent me into a natural state of cardiac arrest, the venom giving me the grandest of awakenings,” she said.
“When I miraculously made it to shore I drifted into a deep state of sleep. Beginning my journey towards the heavens … My body had turned completely blue.”
Ms Cahill said bystanders rushed to her aid, performing CPR and pouring vinegar over her body before she was rushed to a Thai hospital for treatment.
She told Nine News that she was sent between hospitals by speedboat before being treated by a marine toxin expert and receiving antihistamine for the stings.
After her treatment, Ms Cahill uploaded photos of the aftermath of the attack to her Instagram, with stringlike marks seen wrapped around her body.
Having since returned to Thailand, Ms Cahill told Nine she hoped her encounter could help raise awareness of the dangers posed by box jellyfish.
In just a week, six people were stung by jellyfish in waters off K’gari, also known as Fraser Island, including a five-year-old girl.
In 2021, a nine-year-old boy from Israel died after being stung by a box jellyfish while playing in the water at a beach on Koh Pha Ngan island.
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