A young mum died while taking part in a party trick to see how many Jaffa Cakes she could get into her mouth. Bethan Gaskin, 24, blacked out and stopped breathing when they became lodged in her throat and she collapsed, suffering a heart attack and dying five days later. The beauty therapist’s mum Michele, 52, is warning other people about the dangers of food challenges.
She said: ‘I remember raising my eyebrows when Bethan started the game, thinking “how old are you?” and telling her to spit them out. ‘She was like a little hamster with her cheeks bulging. She danced off to the toilet to get rid of them and it was only a while later we realised she had been gone a long time.’ Speaking about Bethan’s death in hospital five days later, Michele broke down saying: ‘She looked perfect and so beautiful. It was just like she was sleeping. ‘So many people have said they play a similar game with marshmallows. Even my 90-year-old aunt said she does it with Maltesers. This just shows how fragile we are.’ Bethan was found slumped on the bathroom floor and her mum dialled 999 while a friend performed CPR. Michele said: ‘In my heart I knew we had lost her before they put her into the ambulance. Too much time was passing.’
Bethan died at hospital in Peterborough on February 27 with her family around her. The family also told of the heartbreaking moment they told Bethan’s three-year-old daughter Lili about her mum’s death. Michele said: ‘I just told her that mummy was very sick and the doctors couldn’t make her better so she has died and we can’t see her again. ‘We talk about Bethan with Lili and she has asked a few times when we are going to mummy’s.’ Bethan’s dad Joe, 57, added: ‘We just tell her that mummy is an angel in heaven now. ‘It was the hardest thing to have to answer all those questions when we had just said goodbye.’ Speaking about Bethan’s choice to donate her organs: ‘At the minute it’s too soon, but I think in time it will help us to know that Bethan saved other people.’
Joe and Michele adopted Bethan when she was six months old as well as her brother Joseph when he was born two years later. Bethan had worked as a carer and was now hoping to pursue a career in the beauty industry. Dad Joe added: ‘There was more make-up in her flat than anything else. Bethan enjoyed spending time with her friends and also took part in medieval re-enactments. ‘She was also looking forward to raising Lili and giving her all the opportunities she enjoyed herself as a child. Her life was just beginning to look up after a tough time.’ Michele found a Mother’s Day card Bethan had bought for while sorting through her belongings. She said: ‘Bethan would normally leave everything until the last minute but my nagging was obviously paying off. I found a card that she had bought for me but not written on. ‘It was heartbreaking to find it but I’ll still put it up on Mother’s Day.’ A family friend, Julie Loveridge, has set up a fundraising page to help the family give Lili the experiences. Michele said: ‘Lili was her life and she wanted her to experience everything she had done. Joseph worshipped his sister when they were younger and now him and Lili are very close. ‘Bethan was only 5ft 2ins and Joseph is 6ft but she always put him in his place and now Lili does too. We were blessed to have her as long as we did.’ Share this article via facebookShare this article via twitterShare this article via messenger
