IT is 20 years since Emma Christoffersen’s life was cut brutally short just minutes after she stepped off a long haul flight from Australia at Heathrow Airport.

The 28-year-old Newport woman’s death from deep vein thrombosis (DVT) sparked a high profile legal action and awareness campaign that resonated around the globe.

And the campaign message, says Emma’s mum Ruth Christoffersen, is as vital today - DVT is a risk run by air passengers the world over, due to long periods of inactivity during flights. Moreover, awareness of it, and measures people can take to alleviate it, can save lives.

Mrs Christoffersen, 73, who lives in Underwood, Newport, had vowed to herself just hours after her daughter’s death that she would let the world know about the risks of DVT and air travel.

The anguish she and late husband John felt at losing their daughter on September 30 2000, remains undimmed. So does Mrs Christoffersen's resolve, though at times it is a struggle.

“Some days I sail through it, others are very hard,” said Mrs Christoffersen. Her husband died three years ago, also on September 30.

“No matter how much time has elapsed, every day without them is very difficult.”

The couple, with families of other victims, fought to raise awareness of the dangers of DVT, and to persuade airlines to acknowledge and act on them. There was a court case too in which victims’ relatives and DVT survivors accused airlines of ignoring medical advice that could have saved lives.

That was ultimately unsuccessful, but the campaign did save lives - and Mrs Christoffersen wants to keep the message alive.

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Even under the difficult circumstances created by coronavirus, air travel continues and Mrs Christoffersen said: “I trust and hope DVT will be high on people’s agenda when they are preparing for their flights.”

Compression socks, she says, are a vital aid to helping reduce the risk of DVT during flights, especially with the restrictions in place due to coronavirus.

“I’ve been looking back on interviews I did in different parts of the world, for the European Parliament, that sort of thing,” she said.

“Airlines did know they had a problem (with DVT) in the 1950s and chose to ignore it.

“After Emma died and her story gained notoriety in a few countries, quite a few people said to me she did not die in vain.

“I used to ask the question - why did it have to be my Emma? I think that question has been answered many years later.

“Her story is her legacy, and it is as important now as it was back then.”