Legionnaires' victim fears she will never recover

A British holidaymaker who contracted Legionnaires' disease in Crete a year ago says her life has "totally changed" and fears she will never fully recover.

Donna Jobling, from Hull, is waiting for answers from the holiday provider easyJet after she contracted the lung disease while staying at the Sergios Hotel in the Hersonissos area of the Greek island in June 2025.

Her solicitors said she struggled to move from her neck down and had been left bedridden most days due to the pain, despite having regular physiotherapy sessions which were being paid for by easyJet.

The holiday operator said it was supporting Jobling and it hoped for a swift resolution through the "legal process".

While there has been no official confirmation Sergios Hotel was the source of the Legionnaires' disease, the BBC has approached the venue for a comment.

The 58-year-old said: "My life has been totally changed, as it has for my husband Sid who I feel so sorry for as he has to do everything for me now and is effectively my carer," she said.

"I'm determined to stay positive and do all I can to get better, but it has been such slow progress that I do get frustrated and angry."

Jobling said she spends much of her time in bed due to ongoing pain, fatigue and weakness, and continues to struggle with severe nerve pain and disrupted sleep. She also experiences regular flashbacks to the time she became ill.

"Many days I simply can't lift my legs to be able to get out of bed and I am just completely shattered.

"I've been told I may never get much better. It's so difficult."

Jobling was on holiday with her husband Sid and another couple when she fell ill.

She was in an induced coma in an intensive care unit at Venizeleio Hospital for two weeks before being flown back to Hull where she was hospitalised. During that time she was diagnosed with Guillain‑Barré syndrome (GBS), a rare auto-immune condition which can cause muscle weakness and paralysis in severe cases.

Sid said their lives had been turned upside down and had been "on hold for the past year".

"At present, we can't look any further than tomorrow. We have to wake up each and every day and assess how Donna feels after a couple of hours as to what we will do that day," he said.

Despite the challenges, he said he was determined to support his wife.

"We are hoping and praying that she continues to get better day by day but, whatever happens, she is my wife and I'll be at her side to help. That's what married life is.

"We're fighting this together, but we should never have been left in this position."

The couple are pursuing legal action against easyJet and Jobling said they wanted lessons to be learned to prevent it happening to others.

"With the right hygiene standards and checks in place, this is completely avoidable, and easyJet and other holiday operators have a responsibility to ensure the hotels they send customers to are safe."

Anne Thomson, from Hudgell Solicitors which is representing Jobling, said another case of Legionnaires' disease linked to the same hotel around the same period had also been identified.

"We are really hopeful that representatives of easyJet will agree to providing more, much-needed support soon, and of course that they will also admit liability without the need to take this case through the courts."

She said the airline had agreed to fund regular physiotherapy sessions, but discussions were ongoing for additional occupational therapy support.

In a statement, easyJet Holidays said: "We're sorry to hear that Ms Jobling remains unwell and for the impact this has had on her. We've continued to support Ms Jobling, including funding an initial course of rehabilitation, and we have been exploring further ways to assist her.

"As this is an ongoing legal matter, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage. We hope the matter is resolved swiftly through the appropriate legal process."