Holiday to Greece left Anglesey woman in coma after tick bite

A woman has been left with memory loss and seizures and has to take 18 tablets a day after a tick bite on a Greek holiday left her in a coma for nearly six weeks.

Victoria Stellas, from Anglesey, had flu-like symptoms while on the island of Syros in 2019, then – once back home – started having night seizures.

She went to hospital but “no-one knew what was wrong” so had an MRI scan and was flown by helicopter to Liverpool’s Walton Centre, external, where she was put in an induced coma for 42 days.

From there Victoria was diagnosed with tick-borne encephalitis, external (TBE), a potentially fatal brain inflammation.

“It’s changed my life completely. Apart from the work I don’t go out as much,” the 51-year-old said.

Mum-of-one Victoria believes she was bitten when she was at her brother-in-law’s home as he has goats that can attract ticks.

She said: “I just kept on having seizures and no-one knew what was wrong. It was an unusual infection, and they didn’t have the experts I think to diagnose this.

“Altogether it was about six months from when I was in hospital, the treatment afterwards.

“Sometimes I just keep quiet. I was outgoing before.”

Victoria said she lost her jobs in a pub and as a teaching assistant at a school for children with special educational needs and disabilities, due to her symptoms.