“It would have been nothing to keep her one night ... She went to the right place for treatment. They should not have let her go.”
They added: “Marissa’s mother, Bessie, believes her daughter has gone because of them. They should not have let her go, definitely.”
Laimou’s father is shipowner Diamantis Laimou. The prominent Laimou family has been involved in shipping since the 18th century.
Although the family are originally from Athens, several members now reside in multimillion-pound houses in London. Laimou was raised in the capital.
Despite her wealth, she reportedly worked in nurseries and as a receptionist. She also ran an independent theatre production company and took the lead in its production of Romeo and Juliet. She is said to have been preparing to perform in a production of Oliver! before her death.
Laimou is said to have recovered from breast cancer and a rare blood disease in the months before she died.
She had recently returned to London after a holiday with her family on the Greek resort island of Porto Cheli when she began to feel unwell on September 9, according to media reports.
Her mother Bessie Laimou told the Greek newspaper Parapolitika that her daughter “was bitten by an insect”, although this has not been confirmed and she did not specify which type of insect.
She reportedly developed dizziness, itchiness and a high temperature, with a doctor recording a high fever of 39C, but she initially decided to stay at home.
However, according to the Daily Mail, her condition deteriorated the next day and she took herself to the Leaders in Oncology Care (LOC), in Harley St, where medics carried out blood tests, gave her an antibiotics drip and antihistamine medicine.
Because of the seriousness of her condition, she was reportedly taken by ambulance to University College London Hospital (UCLH).
A family friend told the newspaper: “Marissa goes there and it was a nurse. They took the blood tests again, they gave her a drip with fluids. She was just waiting there. She went there at 2.30pm and at around 3pm they took the blood tests.
”She was waiting, she sent some messages to her friend saying: ‘Nobody is checking up on me, nobody is coming, I don’t know where they are, I’m still itching, I feel dizzy, I don’t feel well.’”
Laimou’s family said she was given antibiotics and discharged at 6.30pm. Her body was found in her bed the following morning.
The family said they are still awaiting the results of a post-mortem examination.
A UCLH spokesman said: “We were extremely sad to hear of the death of Marissa Lemos. We offer our deep condolences to her family and friends at this sad and difficult time.
“We have initiated an internal investigation as is the normal process for an unexpected death. We await the result of the post-mortem, and we will provide any information required from the coroner’s court.”
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