</form> A British couple who fell critically ill during a holiday in Egypt three years ago said they're story is "totally parallel" to that of the "suspicious" death of two British holiday-makers in Egypt less than two weeks ago
Michelle and Arnold Cohen, from Garston, were on a family holiday in Sharm el Sheikh in 2015 when they both became "desperately ill" after reporting a "foul smell" in their five-star Marriott resort, the Renaissance Golden View
Speaking to the Liverpool Echo , the couple said their story is strikingly similar to that of John and Susan Cooper who died on August 21 while on holiday in the Red Sea resort town of Hurghada
Although the Coopers were staying at the Steigenberger Aqua Magic Hotel, which is not owned by Marriott, Michelle said the circumstances surrounding the tragic death of the Burnley couple are suspiciously similar to those in which they ended up fighting for their lives three years ago
It comes as it emerged that two people from the same resort also reported falling ill following the couple's death, which their daughter Kelly Omerod said had been caused by "something suspicious"
Another family who had stayed in the Hurghada resort had also successfully sued touring operator Thomas Cook after they fell ill while they were staying at the same hotel in 2016
The family of four from south Wales claimed they suffered gastric illness and stomach problems for a whole two months after their stay
The Marriott International said following a review that they were unable to link hygiene conditions at the hotel to the Cohens' illness
But Michelle said: "We complained of a foul, wretched smell in our hotel room at the Renaissance
After we flagged it up a member of staff turned up with some air freshner. "I just thought that will not shift it
But I have now learned that the Coopers also complained of a very bad smell in their room before they died
For me that is just too much of a coincidence." Michelle told the ECHO how they both became violently ill, taking turns to vomit in the bathroom
She said: "The night we became ill we had been out for dinner together. I remember we came back to our room and had to complain again about the foul smell
"We both woke up around 4am, with nausea and diarrhoea We were taking turns to use the bathroom
I contacted the hotel doctor and he gave us both a pill and put us on a drip. I remember he said we would both be ok in a few hours
"When my daughter saw that we were not at breakfast she called in to our room. You can imagine what she saw
She screamed for her husband. Before I passed out I just remember my son-in-law shouting down the phone, telling reception to get two ambulances
" By the time they arrived at hospital Arnold had suffered a heart attack and Michelle had suffered organ failure
Michelle said: "I had heart failure, liver failure, kidney failure and sepsis. Doctors told my daughter Lisa that I was unlikely to survive
Lisa then had to call her sister Abigail to tell her that I was going to die." Ben and Abigail then flew to Sharm El Sheikh
Abigail, desperate with worry, then managed to contact the president of the Marriott group in Chicago, who put the family in touch with a British based boss
Michelle said: "This was an incredibly stressful time for our family. My husband and I were in intensive care for a week
At one point the British consulate sent to a representative to our ward to see us because we were close to death
"I recovered before my husband. Because he was fitted with a stent in hospital doctors advised him not to return to the UK on a commercial flight
"They wanted him to fly home on an air ambulance. By this point I was teetering on the brink of a complete nervous breakdown
In the end I flew home and my husband followed me on a standard flight. "He could just not face another three weeks in Egypt
I remember our insurers told us that if Arnold did become ill and the plane was forced to land we would be liable for the costs
"Fortunately we both arrived safely back in the UK and eventually recovered." Read More Top Stories from Mirror Online Michelle claimed that a subsequent hygiene report commissioned by the Marriott found that their hotel room was to blame for their illness
She said: "After Abi contacted the Marriott president our hotel room was sectioned off
All the surfaces were swabbed and it turns out the room had a poor rating. "An eminent UK doctor has since told us that we suffered a food or water born virus linked to the poor hygiene in the room
" She said: "At the time the Marriott were quite good and agreed to accommodate relatives free of charge
And they also provided free food. But our lawyers have recently told us that Marriott refused to pay compensation because we booked the holiday through another company
To be frank we were never chasing the money. But an apology would have been nice
"We spent thousands of pounds on flights for Ben and Abigail, and racked up a £1,000 mobile phone bill
"The death of the Coopers brought back so many painful memories for us. I think the fact that there was a foul smell in their room and ours is just too much of a coincidence
"And why would my fit and healthy husband suddenly have a heart attack at the same time as I suffered multiple organ failure?" A spokesman for Marriott International said to the ECHO: "We take the wellbeing of our guests very seriously and were deeply concerned when we learned of Mr and Mrs Cohen's health challenges in June 2015
"An investigation was conducted into whether there were conditions at the hotel that would have caused the Cohens' adverse health conditions
"We were not able to identify any such connections from the review. It has been more than three years since the Cohens' unfortunate experience
"We understand, however, that recent news reports relating to a different hotel have caused the Cohens to become concerned about their own experiences in 2015
"We are arranging for the appropriate company representatives to respond to any questions that the Cohens may have and consider any information that they may wish to share
"
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