A former sports reporter for UK networks ITV and Sky has emerged from an induced coma after falling ill with a rare strain of malaria in Rio.
Charlie Webster had made a charity bicycle ride in Rio as part of her work as an ambassador for Team Great Britain, but felt ill after watching the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. She was later taken to a hospital in Rio and when her condition deteriorated, she was placed in a coma. “Charlotte knows she nearly died,” her mother told the BBC.
What had been originally suspected to be a case of dehydration was ultimately determined to be malaria, and while Webster has regained consciousness, she is still on dialysis and other life support:
“It’s been the worst imaginable time – we have been beside ourselves with worry but the fact Charlotte is now conscious is amazing.
“Knowing Charlotte, the thing she’ll be most annoyed about is that she’s missed the Olympics.”