Dancing with danger: Burlesque star’s dengue drama in Thailand
In a terrifying testimony, a US burlesque dancer backpacking with her husband revealed her horrifying brush with death after contracting dengue fever while exploring Thailand.
Paisley Peach, a globetrotter from Boulder, Colorado, alongside 31 year old husband Julian De Prince, faced their worst fears when a ferocious swarm of mosquitoes struck during their dream adventure in Southeast Asia.
The couple’s idyllic trip took a disastrous turn as both were bedridden with raging fevers after a lively night out. But it was the daring burlesque performer, who found herself collapsing and rushed to hospital in a fight for survival.
Now, the 32 year old looks back in regret, haunted by her decision to forgo insect repellent, and vows never to skip vaccinations before future getaways. What was meant to be a last hurrah before the couple settled down to start a family quickly spiralled into disaster during their September 2023 tour.
The pair had partied the night away at a rave on Ko Pha Ngan Island, blissfully unaware of the lurking danger. Despite her attempts to keep mosquitoes at bay with tea tree oil, Paisley became a feast for the pests, waking on October 3 to a feverish nightmare.
“We must’ve been attacked by the same mosquito,” Paisley said, as she and Julian monitored their deteriorating health sans thermometer, ruling out Covid-19 with a negative test.
Battling severe aches and pains, the duo fled their hostel for a remote AirBnB bungalow, reachable only via water taxi. As Paisley’s agony intensified, she described feeling as if her bones were shattering and her head on the verge of explosion with intense pain behind her eyes.
Julian’s heart sank witnessing Paisley lose consciousness, collapsing under a sinister fever spell, reported the Daily Star.
“Something was dreadfully wrong,” he told reporters, rushing her for urgent medical attention where dengue fever was diagnosed.
Doctors sounded the alarm over Paisley’s critically low blood platelet count of just 40,000—dramatically short of the normal 150,000 to 400,000—necessitating immediate hospitalisation. Days of intravenous drips and blood tests followed, with simple meals of rice and mashed potato marking her road to recovery by day three of her discharge.
Recuperating at a new hostel, Paisley is finally on the mend, feeling “almost better.” She confessed her aversion to chemical bug sprays, opting for natural remedies like tea tree oil—rendered futile, she now admits.
“I was scared of the chemicals but it doesn’t seem to work for me anymore.”
In stark contrast to her ordeal, Paisley now stresses that will always get vaccinated and warned fellow backpackers and tourists not to shy away from the bug spray.
Dramatic advice from someone who’d nearly lost it all to a mosquito’s bite.
