A tradie tragically died just hours after having budget gastric sleeve surgery in Turkey.
Joe Thornley, 25, from Derbyshire, UK, shelled out just under $6,000 on the operation – which generally costs the equivalent of $19,700 in the UK.
Just two hours after having the procedure, he messaged his parents saying he was in pain.
Later, his parents were informed that Joe had died.
Speaking to the Daily Star, Joe’s mum, Julie, spoke about her devastation and urged others to think twice before getting similar surgery overseas, saying, ‘It’s just not worth it.’
‘I don’t want another family to go through what we’ve been through.’
Weighing 22 stone (140 kilos), Joe had booked the op in order to lose weight and restrict his food intake.
He had booked the procedure at Medicana Bahcelievler in Istanbul just weeks before, and only told his family at the last minute.
Julie explained, ‘He told me the day before. I told him I couldn’t stop him but that he didn’t need it.’
After the surgery, Joe had messaged his mum saying he was ‘in a lot of pain’ and she told him to ask for painkillers.
For the next two days, Julie and husband Michael, 57, didn’t hear from Joe. They assumed he was recovering until police turned up at Julie’s work with the heartbreaking news.
A death certificate in Turkey ruled Joe had died from ‘natural causes’ but a postmortem in Britain blamed internal bleeding after surgery.
Julie said, ‘He was a 25-year-old with his whole life ahead of him.
‘Now I can’t stop thinking of all the other young people who want a butt lift or want something doing to their face. I hope anyone considering this reads our story and doesn’t take it lightly.’
According to Australian Government site Smartraveller, each year over 15,000 citizens travel overseas for a procedure.
Although most don’t suffer serious complications, the website states, ‘unfortunately, things don’t always go as planned.’
It urges those who are considering medical tourism to gather all the information before you leave Australia – including researching the hospital, procedure and surgeon performing it – to ensure you make an informed choice.
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