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Two daughters of a Salford mum who died after being injected with a black market 'skinny jab' have begged others considering taking the 'cheaper option' that 'it's really not worth it.' Mum-of-three Karen McGonigal, from Salford , died in May this year aged 53, just days after she was allegedly illegally administered a dose of weight loss semaglutide. Her family say she visited her GP, where she had tests to see if she would be eligible for another weight loss drug, Mounjaro. But she was unable to get the drug on the NHS , which has strict guidelines for prescriptions. Those successful need to have a BMI of 40 or more and at least four of the following' confirmed diagnosis of hypertension, sleep apnoea, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and hypercholestorolemia. Join the Manchester Evening News WhatsApp group HERE The mum was told by friends that it was available to buy at a local beauty salon. Text messages were allegedly sent by a beautician offering the jabs for £20 each. Karen visited the salon a number of times for what she was told were legitimate licensed injections. Her youngest daughter, Ffion, told ITV News the beautician 'stopped doing a woman's nails' to take Karen into a back room where she was injected with a syringe. "No preparation, no cleaning, nothing. She'd give it to my mum, my mum would pay her and she'd be out in three minutes," she said. Four days after her last injection, she suddenly became unwell with Ffion calling an ambulance after she saw her mum's face 'turned purple.' She was rushed to hospital. However after two days in intensive care, Karen's three daughters were told there was nothing more doctors could do to save her. Family and friends were told to say their goodbyes, and Karen's life support was turned off. The family has since been told Karen was not injected with tirzepatide, the drug known by the brand name Mounjaro. Instead she was administered semaglutide - a different weight loss medication, requiring a different dosage. Karen's family are awaiting further test results, but they believe the unregulated weight-loss jabs were to blame for her death. A police investigation into her death is ongoing. Greater Manchester Police (GMP) have confirmed one person has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and another on suspicion of supplying a controlled substance. Two of Karen's daughters - Abbie and Ffion McGonigal - have now spoken out about their ordeal in a bid to warn others Ffion told ITV News she would 'beg on hands and knees, plead' for others to not use fake 'skinny jabs'. "I would beg on my hands and knees, please don't," she said. "Because how much its affected our life, just please don't." "If this saves another person, or saves another person going through what we feel - then we've done enough," Abbie said. Warning anyone who might be considering taking the 'cheaper option', an emotional Abbie, who was fighting back tears, added: "It's just not worth it, whatsoever. What it actually does to people. "The outcome is devastating. It's heartbreaking and it's really, really not worth it." "I think the people that are actually injecting this stuff, more needs to be done to them. "There's so many people doing it, there's so many people selling it. These people are getting away with destroying peoples lives." The tragedy means Karen will not be around for the birth of her fifth grandchild, with Ffion recently discovering she's pregnant. Abbie said Karen 'lived for her kids and grandkids.' "She had the biggest heart and would do anything for anybody," she said, adding 'if she was your friend - you were lucky.' Andy Morling, MHRA Deputy Director of Criminal Enforcement, said: "My thoughts are with Karen's family following her tragic death." "The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is responsible for the regulation of medicines in the UK under the Human Medicines Regulations 2012. "Buying any medicine from illegal online suppliers significantly increases the risk of receiving falsified or unlicensed products. We work closely with law enforcement partners, customs authorities, social media and online platforms to remove illegal medicines from sale, block harmful websites, disrupt payment routes, and delist offending domains from search engines. "Where breaches of the law are identified in the UK, we will not hesitate to use the full range of our enforcement powers to protect public health, including, where appropriate, prosecuting those who put people at risk." Health Secretary Wes Streeting told the Mirror : "My heart goes out to Karen's family after just such a shocking and avoidable loss, and we're determined to make sure that we drive these dangerous criminals out of our country. "My message to the public is that whilst weight loss jabs can be really helpful to tackle obesity, and there's lots of evidence to support it, people must seek medical advice from regulated medical providers before taking this medication, and if people are seeing it for sale on the black market, they should report it, because you know, as this tragic case shows, sometimes you don't know what you're buying and what you're being sold is not what it's purported to be that can have harmful, or, in the worst cases, tragic consequences and fatal consequences."
