Kidney patient bled to death after drunkenly unpicking dialysis graft

A WOMAN with an erratic lifestyle and a history of alcohol misuse bled to death at home after unpicking a dialysis graft while drunk, an inquest has been told

- by OLIVIER VERGNAULT [e-mail] @OliVergnault

Gemma Louise Mills, 34, was discovered in a pool of her own blood on the sofa at her home in Saltash in October after authorities were asked to check on her welfare.

An inquest in Truro on May 28 heard Ms Mills had an “erratic life-style”; she had been moved from one end of the country to the other by her late father and had not developed the social or coping skills which would have been usual in someone of her age.

In a statement read in court her aunt said Ms Mills would only contact her family when she needed money.

She had been upset when her grandfather refused to give her one of his kidneys when hers started to fail, although he only had one functioning kidney himself.

The hearing was told Ms Mills developed lupus 20 years ago which eventually led to kidney failure and meant she needed dialysis.