A mother has spoken of her nightmare trying to get her son back home to the UK after he was critically injured in a motorbike crash in Thailand.
Tiger Duggan, 23, suffered life-threatening injuries in a head-on collision while riding a motorcycle on a dream holiday with a friend to the Southeast Asian island.
Feared dead for 16 minutes, he was resuscitated at the scene before being airlifted from Koh Phangan to a local hospital in Koh Samui on January 16.
Tiger was then moved to a hospital in Bangkok by medical plane, where he remains on life support.
In an emotional update from Tiger’s hospital bedside, his mother Lisa broke down in tears as she begged friends and family to help bring her son home to the UK ‘before it’s too late’.
‘It broke my heart, my two boys,’ Lisa, a neo-natal nurse from Milton Keynes, said in a video posted to a fundraising page, looking to raise than £200,000 on Saturday.
‘I am begging you please help us, help us get this boy home, whichever way that may look. Please reach deep into your pockets. Every penny counts.’
She added: ‘This is truly the worst nightmare, and I hate to ask even more of you – however to fly Tiger back to the UK for specialist treatment, the medical repatriation alone costs £150,000, and time is running out.
‘Medical bills have to be paid in Thailand as we go along, they are not allowed to accrue. So money has already been paid out.
‘I’m begging anyone who sees this: help me bring my son home before it’s too late.’
Turning to her son in his hospital bed, Lisa added: ‘Ti, we are rooting for you mate. We really are. Please help.’
A statement on a GoFundMe says Tiger needs an emergency transfer to give him the best possible chance of survival.
‘Although Tiger does have travel insurance, we have been informed that the process is lengthy and approvals can take time. Unfortunately, he cannot afford to wait, and this emergency transfer must happen immediately to give him the best possible chance,’ his mother’s nursing colleague wrote in a statement.
His father Kieron Duggan, a plumber who has rushed to the Thai capital to be with his son, added: ‘Tiger is now in Bangkok but we still need to get him home. As you could imagine the cost is going to be incredible.’
Lisa’s colleagues, who set up the GoFundMe page, said: ‘Lisa is not just a colleague to us, she is a compassionate, dedicated nurse and a deeply caring person who gives so much of herself to others every single day. Now, her family needs that same care and kindness returned to them.
‘Any donation, no matter how small, will make a difference. If you’re unable to donate, please consider sharing this page. Your kindness, love, and support mean more than we can put into words.’
Tiger’s family are being supported by Milton Keynes Central Labour MP Emily Darlington, who said: ‘I am shocked and saddened to hear about the devastating accident involving Tiger, a young man from our community who is now fighting for his life in Thailand.’
Visit http://www.gofundme.com/f/ncqg5-please-help-an-angel-in-need to support the family.
