Daisy Dies Within a Month After Rare Immune Condition Develops
Daisy Catterall, 25, died after flu-like symptoms preceded a rare immune condition called HLH. Her mother, Rachel, is sharing the family’s experience to raise awareness of the disease and its rapid progression. Daisy was admitted to hospital after abnormal blood results, then transferred to critical care while her parents were travelling abroad.
Rachel Catterall said her 25-year-old daughter, Daisy, died within a month after flu-like symptoms developed into a rare, life-threatening immune condition. The illness was hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, or HLH, which can cause an overactive immune system to attack the body’s organs and blood cells.
The symptoms began with swollen glands in Daisy’s neck. Her family initially understood the problem to be a viral infection, but her condition later deteriorated and she was transferred to critical care. Rachel is now sharing the story to raise awareness of HLH.
It moved fast.
Rachel, a painter and decorator from Cirencester, said she had never heard of HLH before her daughter became ill. Daisy worked for the local council and was described by her mother as fit and active. She had recently bought her first home with her long-term boyfriend, Matty, and the couple were making plans to marry and start a family.
Rachel recalled that the first call came in January 2025, when Daisy complained of swollen glands. Doctors told her daughter it was a viral infection and prescribed antibiotics, her mother said. In the weeks that followed, Daisy developed aching joints and rashes, while the swollen glands subsided.
Rachel said Daisy was repeatedly reassured that the symptoms were part of the same illness and that there was no need to worry. Her daughter appeared generally well, despite feeling under the weather.
When abnormal blood results led to Daisy’s hospital admission, Rachel and her husband, Sam, were preparing to travel to Cambodia and Vietnam. Daisy was in hospital for several days, but Rachel said she did not appear seriously ill. The day before her parents left, Daisy was discharged and was expected to receive treatment as an outpatient.
Two days into the trip, Rachel received a call saying Daisy had returned to hospital. During a FaceTime call, a consultant told her that doctors wanted to perform a bone marrow biopsy. Rachel said the proposed test prompted her to look for the first flight home.
By the time Rachel and Sam arrived back in the UK, Daisy had been moved to critical care. Rachel described seeing her daughter receiving medication in hospital as a shock. Doctors later told her that Daisy could not be saved.
“I was watching the doctors work on her when they said she couldn’t be saved,” Rachel said.
HLH is the condition Rachel says her family had not known about before Daisy’s illness. In Daisy’s case, the early symptoms were followed by changes in her joints and skin, an abnormal blood count and a rapid decline that led to intensive care.
Rachel said: “I could see there was no chance for her, though. It all happened in the blink of an eye.”
