A teenage girl who woke up with an excruciating headache following a night out with friends sadly died just days later after treating what she believed was a standard teenage hangover with paracetamol.
Áine Rose Hurst brushed off the intense pain and went back to sleep, unaware that she was actually dealing with a deadly blood clot in her brain. Within 48 hours, the 19-year-old passed away in the arms of her heartbroken mother, reports The Mirror.
Now, her devastated mother Kerry is sharing her story to warn other young women after what seemed like an ordinary hangover turned into something far more lethal.
When Áine awoke in early March with a severe headache, she put it down to the effects of her night out. But as the pain persisted, she turned to her mum for help, reports The Mirror.
Kerry provided her with paracetamol, an eye mask, and suggested she try to rest, never imagining the situation would end tragically. However, the agony intensified rapidly, forcing Kerry to dial 111.
During the emergency call, Áine suddenly lost consciousness and was rushed to hospital by ambulance, reports The Mirror.
Medical staff later diagnosed her with cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, a rare type of blood clot in the brain, and told the family that survival was unlikely. Two days afterwards, on March 13, 2025, life support was turned off and Áine died peacefully in her mother’s embrace.
Kerry, 52, said: “Áine was the most beautiful, funny, caring girl. We will never get over losing her, but if we can save a life in her memory, that would be some small comfort to us,” reports The Mirror.
The tragic event has since been connected to the combined oral contraceptive pill that Áine was using. Just before turning 16, Kerry had accompanied her daughter to the GP because of heavy periods.
Áine was prescribed Femodette and continued taking it for three years with no issues, reports The Mirror.
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But in December 2024, on the very day she passed her driving test, a routine check revealed dangerously high blood pressure and she was immediately stopped from using the pill.
Kerry revealed: “When she got home, she told us the nurse had taken three readings, and her blood pressure was way too high. She was taken off the Pill immediately.
“We had a blood pressure machine at home, and Áine checked and recorded it every day for weeks. It was a worry, but the readings gradually came down because she was off the Pill,” reports The Mirror.
In January 2025, once her blood pressure fell just within normal limits, Áine was put back on the pill. Although Kerry had some reservations, the family chose to follow the medical guidance.
“I was a bit worried about that; I thought it was odd,” the distraught mum explained. “But I trusted the GP; I didn’t for a moment think Áine was at risk in any way at all. I torture myself now wishing I’d made a stand and insisted on going back to the GP,” reports The Mirror.
Weeks later, Áine experienced the fatal headache. Her mum Kerry shared: “Áine presumed she had a typical teenage hangover and stayed in bed. But it got worse and she came into my room crying. I gave her paracetamol and an eye mask, tucked her up in bed and told her to get some sleep,” reports The Mirror.
Kerry described how events unfolded “so fast,” from feeling unwell to becoming unconscious. Upon reaching the hospital, doctors explained that the contraceptive pill was thought to have triggered the clot.
It was subsequently recorded as a contributing factor on her death certificate.
An inquest later determined that Áine died from cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, with the oral contraceptive pill identified as a “potential contributing factor”, reports The Mirror.
Since the loss of their only daughter, Kerry and her husband Graham have established ARCS (The Áine Rose Contraceptive Safety Foundation) to highlight the dangers associated with such medications.
Mum Kerry said: “Nothing will bring Áine back. But we would like to raise awareness amongst other young women of the potential side effects and dangers of the contraceptive pill. Áine would never have done anything to put her life at risk, she was a bright, sensible young woman. If she’d had any idea she was in danger, she’d never have gone back on the pill. Our hearts are broken and our entire family is shattered. But in her memory, we hope other lives will be saved,” reports The Mirror.
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