Robyn, a dedicated member of the charity Mission Rabies, has pledged to reduce rabies deaths to zero following her mother's passing.

In 2/2025, Yvonne Ford and her husband, Ron, traveled from the UK to Morocco for a vacation. What began as a trip anticipated to be filled with happy memories ended tragically with a small scratch, which ultimately led to Mrs. Ford's death. While relaxing on a sofa, a stray dog approached and scratched Mrs. Ford's leg. The scratch was minor, only breaking the skin, so Mrs. Ford cleaned it with a wet wipe and continued to enjoy her holiday.

Upon Mrs. Ford's return to the UK, Robyn urged her mother to have the scratch examined, but she dismissed it as "nothing". Robyn herself did not consider such a small skin abrasion could be fatal, especially as Mrs. Ford remained healthy for many weeks afterward.

Mrs. Ford before her passing. Photo: Robyn Thompson

In early June, Mrs. Ford began experiencing headaches. Within days, her condition rapidly worsened, necessitating hospitalization at Barnsley Hospital. Initial symptoms were headaches, followed by a gradual loss of her ability to walk and speak. According to Robyn, her mother started having hallucinations and became unable to eat or sleep.

Robyn described watching her mother deteriorate as a "torment", feeling helpless. For the first five days, doctors could not identify the cause until a psychiatrist inquired about Mrs. Ford's travel history. The family was then informed that she had contracted rabies from the dog's scratch. Mrs. Ford passed away on 11/6.

After her mother's death, Robyn was introduced to Mission Rabies and realized she needed to contribute to change. Yvonne was the 7th person in the UK to die from rabies since 2000, yet outside the UK, an estimated 60,000 people die from rabies annually.

"I will bring that number to zero by 2030", she stated. Robyn's first mission stop was Cambodia in 10/2025, where she and her husband, Andrew, aimed to vaccinate 70% of the local dog population, primarily stray dogs. This target is sufficient to break the chain of infection, despite representing a huge amount of work. Robyn and her husband maintain their motivation by competing to see who can vaccinate more dogs, with their record being 10,000 dogs per day.

Robyn vaccinating dogs in Cambodia. Photo: Robyn Thompson

To this day, Robyn remains dedicated to her work and has been praised by the CEO of Mission Rabies as "an inspiration to volunteers". She has transformed her grief into motivation to help others facing similar circumstances as her mother.

"I wish travelers were more aware of the potential exposure risks in some high-risk countries. I wish families knew that immediately cleaning a wound and getting post-exposure treatment could save a mother", she expressed, confident that her work would save many other families.

Hoai Anh (According to Guardian, Mirror)