Tributes have been paid to a top gynaecologist who died on a British Airways flight to the south of France with her husband.
Professor Linda Cardozo, a professor of urogynaecology and consultant gynaecologist at King’s College Hospital, London, has been described by her employer paid as a ‘true pioneer’.
Her family said that after having health issues in previous months, Prof Cardozo was getting better, and had been heading to Nice for a week’s break on Thursday, September 21.
She had been alongside her husband Stuart Hutcheson when they both fell asleep, but when the plane landed Prof Cardozo did not wake up.
The emergency services were called to the plane, which had landed under the call sign BA 348, but despite the best efforts of medics nothing could be done to save her.
In a statement given to the Times her family said that most other passengers had already left the plane by the time it was discovered she had passed away.
They said that after suffering health troubles in recent months, Prof Cardozo had been “very much on the mend” and was “the life of the party” at a wedding two weeks ago.
She had even been planning on returning to work “in some capacity” after her holiday, they said.
In the statement, her family said: “For someone so hell bent on living life to the full and so scared of retirement, it was quite a fitting end. We imagine she’d be quite pleased that even her death was an international police incident. We are incredibly thankful for the kind professionalism of the BA staff and the airport duty manager immediately on hand.”
Prof Cardozo was awarded an OBE in 2014 for services to urogynaecology and women’s health, and has also received lifetime achievement awards from International Continence Society and the British Society of Urogynaecology, the Mirror reports.
She also served as president of the International Urogynaecological Association, European Urogynaecological Association, Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Women’s Health and Section of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of the Royal Society of Medicine.
Leonie Penna, chief medical officer at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, paid tribute to her eminent colleague.
She said: “Linda worked at King’s for 44 years and was a true pioneer in the field of urogynaecology. She was also popular and highly respected by her patients and colleagues alike.
“She will be sorely missed and the thoughts of everyone at King’s are with her family at this difficult time.”
Following her death a spokesperson for British Airways said: “Sadly, a customer passed away on a flight from London Heathrow to Nice. Our thoughts are with the customer’s family at this difficult time.”
