The family of a British man who died in Turkey after a scooter accident have alleged that hospital staff 'blackmailed' them into donating one of his kidneys. John Kearney, 64, from Birkenhead, Wirral, was on holiday in Marmari when he fell off a rental scooter and suffered a serious head injury. He died in a Turkish hospital last Wednesday, almost two weeks after the accident.
Two days after the crash, the family were told to fly to Turkey because staff planned to turn off John's life support. His daughter, Joanna Kearney, claims that when she pleaded for more time so relatives could say their goodbyes, medics made a disturbing demand. She alleges they said they would only keep him alive if the family agreed to donate one of his kidneys.
Joanna said: 'They said to me that if I donated one of my dad's organs they would keep him going on the machine. I felt like I had been blackmailed into an organ donation.' The family eventually agreed, but Joanna later received a WhatsApp message from a doctor saying the kidney was not compatible, followed by a blunt question: 'Do you wanna see ur dad last time?'
John, a hard-working handyman, was not given a helmet when he rented the scooter. Joanna noted that it seemed 'odd' he was not provided with head protection, and that once in Turkey, she noticed nobody wore helmets. The family have described their trauma and have set up a GoFundMe page to help bring John's body home.
In a tribute on social media, Joanna wrote: 'What a man who will be sadly missed by all his friends and loved ones. It's all so hard to process right now. Messages are flooding in... I feel physically sick... just need him home now, absolutely devastated.'
