A dad may be forced to have his leg amputated after a ‘scorpion bite’ gave him a flesh-eating disease in Thailand.
Alan Stephenson, originally from Bilton but now lives in Hull, has had the skin and flesh stripped from his leg after he believes he was bitten while exploring the country.
The 73-year-old has since been told amputation is the ‘only realistic option’.
His son Kristian Stephenson, 44, said he feared for his dad’s life after travelling to see him at the beginning of the month.
Alan, who also suffers from diabetes, was in ‘absolute agony’ and was in a state of confusion – unable to recall where his visa or other important documents were.
Kristian said: ‘His leg looked horrendous, but because he wasn’t being turned over or helped out of bed, he had bed sores that were just as bad.
‘As this was going on, the place he had been staying was demanding rent and taking his belongings to cover the cost, and the hospital was charging an extortionate amount of medical bills in cash.
‘The nearest ATM was around an hour away as the area was so remote, with no place to even get a cold drink nearby, and the walk to the hospital was around 3km.’
According to Kristian, there were cockroaches on the hospital ceiling and stray cats were eating the food meant for patients.
He said: ‘It was like something from Banged Up Abroad.
‘The hospital was terrible and didn’t do anything with his leg. I thought, “He is going to die here.”‘
Thankfully, Alan was able to be moved to another hospital, and doctors in the UK have indicated it may be possible to save his leg.
But bringing him back home will cost the family £18,000, as it would require employing a medical repatriation team.
‘As luck would have it, we have found a company that I immediately connected with because the guy who runs it is also from East Yorkshire,’ Kristian said.
‘My dad has received a fit to fly certificate and he is starting to look better in himself, but now we face raising £18,000 to pay for the service, which is the lowest rate possible.
‘The plan now is to get my dad back to Hull full time and save his life. We know he will most likely be disabled for the rest of his life, but we are hoping he can somewhat recover.’
The team recommended Kristian should set up a JustGiving page, which has already raised £5,591, but is still considerably under the cost needed.
The family tried to appeal with their MP and the British Embassy, but with little success.
Kristian explained: ‘The British Embassy has shown no interest in the case and we are often waiting on responses due to the time difference. We have been told that the government would not contribute to any costs towards flying my dad home to be saved.
‘Our MP Karl Turner has been in touch with me almost every day with advice and assured me that he is speaking to people above him, but I know there’s only so much he can do.’
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