22-Year-Old Graduate Aspiring to Be a Teacher Dies After Sore Throat Blocks Her Airways

A 22-year-old university graduate, Amy Forsythe, has tragically passed away after what began as a simple sore throat turned fatal.

Amy, who had recently completed her studies in Northern Ireland and dreamed of becoming a teacher, was rushed to the Ulster Hospital, where she spent five days in intensive care. Sadly, doctors revealed that her sore throat had caused severe swelling, which ultimately blocked her airways.

Her devastated mother, Nicola, paid tribute to her daughter, describing her as the “life and soul of the party” and someone who brought joy to everyone around her.

She said: “Amy was our eldest child

“She came back over a year ago from Liverpool John Moore University, after completing a degree in Journalism.

“She was working as a Classroom Assistant and planning to do her teacher training’, Nicola said.

“Last November, Amy took ill at home.

“We had to call an ambulance and she was brought to the Ulster Hospital, where she spent five days in Intensive Care.

‘It was end-of-life care, she was only 22.

“Amy had a sore throat, which led to an abscess that blocked her airway and she passed away on 16 November 2024.’

“The team in the Intensive Care Unit were amazing and we decided that we wanted to give something back, so we started to fundraise.

“At Amy’s funeral, we asked for family flowers only and instead, friends and family made donations, raising £2,500 for the hospital in lieu of flowers.

She added: “‘Amy was always the life and soul of the party’, Nicola said.

“She was loud, she was noisy, she was big and had a massive personality. Her favourite colours were pink and yellow, everything she wore was pink and yellow.

“So, if we can help make a room or a place in the Unit a little bit more comfortable to help families in the saddest of days, that is what we want to do.

“After the funeral, I said to my husband James that it would be lovely if we could raise another thousand pounds.

“In January, we decided to run relay teams in the Belfast Marathon.

“I am a runner, James is not, so he suggested holding a quiz as well.

“We organised a quiz night in our local football club, where our son Thomas plays, at the end of March. It was incredible, so many people came along and everyone just kept donating. On the night we raised £7,000.

“We aimed to raise £10,000, but with the quiz, the relay teams in May and the support of my running club, Scrabo Striders, the total just kept climbing. With the fundraising and donations in lieu of flowers, we raised over £15,000 for the Unit.”