Canadian woman shares methanol poisoning story in wake of death investigation in Laos hostel

CTV National News: Methanol poisoning Kathy Le spoke to a Canadian woman who's sharing her own story of methanol poisoning more than a decade ago.

Cuddling on the couch with her dog, Ducky, no one would notice that anything is different about Ashley King. Even when she walks across the living room, she doesn’t miss a step. But the 32-year-old has gotten used to functioning with only two per cent vision.

“It’s the hardest thing that I’ve ever had to go through in my life,” said King.

She wasn’t born this way.

A trip of a lifetime 13 years ago with friends turned into an unimaginable life sentence for King.

“I was in Bali on a 35-day trip, and on my last night, we decided to go for some drinks,” she explained.

“I went out to a bar that was recommended in the Lonely Planet travel guidebook. It was a very big, westernized establishment night club that you would expect to go and have drinks.”

King says nothing seemed amiss, and only started to feel ill when she was enroute to her next destination. 36 hours had passed and when she woke up in a hostel in New Zealand, her condition worsened.

“I couldn’t breathe. And by the time I had gotten to the hospital, I couldn’t see.”

King said the doctors told her she was poisoned by methanol and that she nearly died.

Her life was saved, but her vision never came back.

She felt compelled to share her story as a warning to other travellers in the wake of six tourists who died from suspected methanol poisoning at a hostel in Vang Vieng, Laos.

Officials confirm the victims to be 19-year-olds Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles from Australia and 28-year-old British national Simone White. An American and two Danish tourists also died, though specifics about the causes of death have not been released.

Eight staff members at the Nana Backpacker Hostel have been detained, including workers and management.

Methanol can sometimes be added to mixed drinks at unscrupulous bars as a cheaper alternative to pricier spirits and is also a byproduct of poorly distilled homebrew liquor and could have found its way into bar drinks unknowingly.

For these reasons, travel expert Onanta Forbes says travellers need to be vigilant.

“Don’t leave your food or drinks unattended,” she said.

“Watch to see how it’s being made. Make sure when you purchase alcohol that it’s been in a sealed bottle or cans from a reputable shop.”

Some people who’ve consumed methanol may feel symptoms quickly but other may not.

“It’s similar to a hangover effect, however, symptoms will be much more severe. And also important to note that the symptoms may not appear for at least 12 to 24 hours,” said Noureen Fazal, a pharmacist.

Fazal says other symptoms include “nausea, vomiting, a very severe abdominal pain, headaches, extreme fatigue, dizziness, vertigo and blurred vision”.

Most of these symptoms plagued King.

She says she was part of a class action lawsuit to try and hold the Bali government and the bar accountable, but nothing amounted out of it.

All she can do now is spread the message so that others know to be careful when abroad to avoid her circumstance.

“It’s a club that I don’t want to be a part of, and I would never want to hear somebody who’s had to go through this.”