Bethany Clarke and Simone White were best friends.

They’d known each other since they were kids. So when they set off on a long-awaited backpacking trip through Southeast Asia, it was meant to be a joyful, carefree adventure.

But just three days into their holiday, everything changed.

At their hostel in Laos, Bethany and Simone attended happy hour drinks by the pool. What they didn’t know was that the drinks had been contaminated with methanol, a toxic and often fatal chemical sometimes found in unregulated alcohol.

Within 24 hours, both women were seriously unwell and found themselves in hospital. Simone didn’t survive. Bethany did.

This is the story of what happened next - the decisions no one should have to make in a foreign hospital, the grief of losing your best friend, and the unbearable weight of being the one left behind.

You can follow Bethany Clarke’s advocacy account and sign her petition here:

https://www.instagram.com/simonewhitemethanolawareness/

If this story has brought up anything for you, please reach out to Lifeline on 13 11 14 or visit Lifeline.org.au

To learn more about methanol poisoning and alcohol safety while travelling, visit DFAT SmartTraveller.

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CREDITS:

Guest: Bethany Clarke

Host: Kate Langbroek

Executive Producer: Naima Brown

Senior Producer: Bree Player

Audio Producer: Jacob Round

Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

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