A BRIT twin mauled by a crocodile has now WOKEN from a coma after her wounds caused sepsis.
Melissa Laurie, 28, had been medically induced after she was saved by her twin Georgia, who punched the predator in the face three times and dragged her out of the water.
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“She’s doing really much better. She’s doing really good,” Georgia told Radio 1 Newsbeat in a WhatsApp voice note.
She added that the tubes inserted to help her twin breathe were taken out this morning.
“She’s been breathing on her own very well.
“She can’t talk because of the soreness of the tube but she can hear.”
Georgia had earlier been discharged from hopsital, having being treated for her hand injuries.
Their older sister, Hana Laurie, 33, had previously told BBC Breakfast that Melissa’s stomach and legs had become infected and she had developed sepsis.
She added that her situation was “still really serious” and that “we’re not relaxing just yet”.
Melissa also had “a lot of water and grass and things in her lungs,” Hana said.
Zookeeper Melissa was initially believed to have been swimming at night in Manialtepec Lagoon, ten miles from surfing resort Puerto Escondido, when she was dragged underwater by the crocodile and thrown “around like a rag doll”.
Georgia fought off the beast with a flurry of punches and swam back to the tour boat on Sunday night while their friends called for help.
The man who rescued them, Gerardo Escamilla Perez, claimed that they had in-fact been swimming by a mangrove in the river and NOT in the nearby Manialtepec lagoon, which is a haven for swimming tourists.
Local authorities have said the grassy area in the river is a well-known spot for nesting crocs.
Hana had previously added that the tour guide, who was already suspected locally of organising illegal tours, had vanished since the incident.
She wrote online: “My sisters were taking a break from their ambitions to scuba dive and work with animals when they took a trip with a guide recommended by their hostel near Puerto Escondido, in Mexico.
“It’s still unclear exactly where they were, but a crocodile attacked the group and viciously bit and shook Melissa.
“It has since transpired that this guide was known locally to be operating in an unlicensed and illegal way, but since is nowhere to be found.
“We are so lucky that Georgia was there, and had immediate reaction through her water rescue training to fight off the crocodile and drag Mel to safety.
“The details of this awful ordeal are still not fully known to us, as the time difference, language barrier and the fact they’re both admitted to hospital are making it very difficult to communicate.
“What is clear, is that Mel’s condition is “delicate” having suffered an open wrist fracture, organ lacerations/internal bleeding and water on her lungs.
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Georgia had confirmed that doctors have been “very concerned” that she’ll contract an infection (as they are too about Georgia’s wounds) and had put them both on intravenous antibiotics.
“Melissa has been placed into a medically induced coma, and remains in that condition while doctors attempt to drain fluid and enable her to breathe on her own,” she added.
Hana has now launched a GoFundMe page to raise funds for their family to travel to Mexico and for her sisters’ medical care costs.
She wrote that “Mel is very bruised, has two black eyes and deep cuts to her face, torso and leg where the crocodile has bitten and scratched her.”
Hana had previoslut explained that her siblings booked the tour through their hostel before adding that the tour guide was not registered – and had taken them to an “unsafe” swimming spot which was not approved.
“He’s an unlicensed tour guide and according to someone on a Mexican Facebook page he’s been doing it for a while, doing illegal tours in unsafe, unregistered areas,” Hana said.
“He’s gone to where the crocodiles live and not the location where all legal certified sanctioned tours take place.
“He has been called out locally before, apparently, but that wasn’t for my sisters to know.
“They found out the information through their hospital.”
Meanwhile their mum Sue Laurie, 63, said it was Georgia and Melissa’s unbreakable bond that saved their lives.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Mrs Laurie said: “They have always been there for each other.
“The girls can fight like cats and dogs, but there is no closer relationship than twins. They will do anything for each other.
“And what happened in Mexico shows just that. If Georgia had not have been there who knows what would have happened.”
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WHAT IS SEPSIS?
Sepsis deaths in the UK are among the highest in the world.
The deadly condition, which is triggered by an infection, is the cause of one in five deaths worldwide.
Typically, when a person suffers a minor cut, the area surrounding the wound will become red, swollen and warm to touch.
This is evidence the body’s immune system has kicked into action, releasing white blood cells to the site of the injury to kill off the bacteria causing the infection.
The white blood cells and platelets form blood clots in the tissues around the cut.
Blood vessels swell to allow more blood to flow, and they become leaky, allowing infection-fighting cells to get out of the blood and into the tissues where they are needed.
This causes inflammation, which appears to us as the red, warm swelling.
The inflammation that is typically seen just around the minor cut, spreads through the body, affecting healthy tissue and organs.
The immune system – the body’s defence mechanism – overreacts and the result is it attacks the body.
It can lead to organ failure and septic shock, which can prove fatal.
Bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites can all trigger sepsis – though the most dangerous culprit is bacteria.
Georgia and Melissa had been travelling around the world together since March and they were due to arrive home in November.
Following the ordeal, their parents are considering flying out to Mexico to bring them home.
Hana has raised more than £43,000 so far. To donate to the fund, click here.
