He died while on a trip to work on a sea turtle conservation project
Costa Rica(Image: Matteo Colombo)
A college student was found dead in his room while on a trip to work on a sea turtle conservation project, an inquest has heard.
Xander Furlong died at the Hotel Paraiso Cabinas, Las Palmas in Puntarenas, Esparza, on July 19 2024.
The 18-year-old, from Plymouth, was a student at Duchy College and was expecting to begin a degree in ecology and wildlife management at UWE Bristol shortly before he died.
Devon Coroner’s Court in Exeter heard Mr Furlong had been diagnosed as a child with narcolepsy and cataplexy and was prescribed long-term medication for the neurological disorders.
His mother, Michelle Furlong, told the hearing her son was diagnosed with the two conditions after receiving a swine flu vaccination in 2010 and also suffered from high blood pressure.
She said the day before his death, he had been messaging from Costa Rica saying he was feeling better after suffering from a bout of dehydration and diarrhoea.
“His last message to us was to our small family chat on July 19 at 1.58am UK time, so therefore approximately 7pm on July 18 in Costa Rica,” she said
“He said, ‘I am really enjoying Costa Rica, and I feeling homesick and I miss everyone’.
“I am told he had been in the pool that evening, was tired and had a headache, so went up to bed early and had a paracetamol.
“We messaged him, but he didn’t see our messages. We didn’t think anything of it because the mobile reception on Costa Rica was really poor.”
She added: “Xander was kind to everyone and had a really gentle soul. He was a home boy and quite shy.
“He was single-minded and knew what he wanted to do for a long time. He was making sure it was going to happen and didn’t allow the narcolepsy to slow him down.”
The inquest heard Mr Furlong’s narcolepsy was being managed within the community, and he was regularly seen by specialists at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth.
Senior Devon Coroner Philip Spinney said a post-mortem examination in Costa Rica found that Mr Furlong had died from natural causes resulting from arterial hypertension, coronary atherosclerosis, mixed cardiomyopathy and recent myocardial infarction.
Toxicology tests did not find any evidence that he had consumed alcohol or illicit drugs before his death.
The coroner recorded a conclusion of natural causes.
“Xander had a past history which included cataplexy and narcolepsy, sleep disturbance and macular disorder,” he said.
“Xander was diagnosed with narcolepsy and cataplexy in December 2011 following a number of assessments and investigations.
“It is noted his symptoms began to occur about two or three months after he received his swine flu vaccine, which is considered a possible association.”
Mr Spinney added that Mr Furlong was prescribed several different medications to manage his conditions, which caused him to develop high blood pressure.
