Hugs were too painful for ME patient before she died, mother tells Exeter inquest

Maeve Boothby O’Neill, 27, died in October 2021 after becoming so weak she could not sit up, eat or drink

A woman who died with severe ME was desperate for a “loving hug” as she neared the end of life but her hypersensitivity made all touch “excruciatingly painful”, her mother has told a coroner.

Giving evidence at the inquest of 27-year-old Maeve Boothby O’Neill, her mother, Sarah Boothby, described her daughter’s efforts to stave off starvation and her desire to live but claimed medical staff did not have the knowledge or resources to help her.