A mother has described the heartbreaking battle to save her 22-year-old daughter from ketamine addiction before she died in severe pain. Isabelle Sapherson-Moralee, known as Izzy, died after her body failed following five years of using the class B drug.
Her mother, Ann Moralee, spent 18 months trying to get help for Izzy and repeatedly warned health professionals that her daughter's life was at risk. Izzy, who suffered chronic pain and severe bladder damage from her addiction, discharged herself from hospital two days before her death. Ms Moralee pleaded with her to let her call an ambulance, but Izzy said: 'No more hospitals mum, I can't do it anymore.'
Ms Moralee, a former nurse and flight attendant, performed CPR as she spoke to a 999 operator. She said: 'I said she's going to die, I told everybody she was going to die and now here we are and she's dead.' She added: 'I have saved a lot of lives in my career... but ultimately I couldn't save my daughter.'
Ketamine misuse among young people in the UK has surged by 251.85 per cent since 2015, the highest increase for any drug. Izzy, an estate agent, started using it frequently during the Covid lockdowns in 2020. Her mother was unaware until late 2023, when the addiction was out of control. The drug damaged Izzy's bladder, causing incontinence, and she spent £500 a month on pads.
Ms Moralee told the inquest that health officials missed opportunities to help. A urologist at Salisbury District Hospital was 'vile' to Izzy, leaving her distrustful of doctors. Even during a hospital stay in March, Izzy obtained and used ketamine. She was admitted to A&E on 24 April before discharging herself. Her cause of death was respiratory depression from combined morphine and gabapentin toxicity, with biliary sepsis as a contributing factor.
Coroner Brendan Allen asked if ketamine users become trapped in a vicious cycle, where the drug causes damage but users take more to relieve pain. Scott Davey of Reach, a drug charity, confirmed this, noting that ketamine's dissociative effects can mask mental health issues.
