A grandmother from Formby, Merseyside, who travelled to Turkey while battling a brain tumour, has been told that the best possible outcome from surgery is complete paralysis. Gill Taylor-Scarth, 56, collapsed during a family holiday in Hisaronu, and doctors in Antalya Hospital have advised immediate surgery, warning that without it she may die.
Gill's husband Kevin Scarth tragically died in December, just one month before she was diagnosed with a brain tumour. He had arranged the fortnight holiday in Turkey as something for the family to look forward to. The family travelled to Turkey in June after Gill received medical clearance, and she was fine. However, after returning home, she suffered a bad turn and was treated at Southport Hospital before being declared fit to fly again.
The family flew back to Turkey on August 15 for another holiday. Gill had paid £700 for travel insurance and had surgery scheduled for her return on August 29. However, a few days into the holiday, she became unsteady, suffered headaches, and on August 23 was unable to keep food down. The hotel arranged a doctor who immediately said she needed hospital treatment.
Gill was taken to a private hospital but was moved to a public hospital three hours away. Her 17-year-old daughter Rosie is the only family member allowed to stay with her. Gill's daughter Sophie Taylor said: 'The hospital in Turkey are telling us they need to operate, but nobody speaks English... We've been told there is only a slight chance she will survive the surgery if they do it and the best outcome is that she will be completely paralysed... We just want to get her home.'
The family hopes to arrange a Medevac flight back to Liverpool at a cost of around £50,000, to get Gill to The Walton Centre, which has been treating her in the UK. Sophie has set up a GoFundMe page to raise funds for the flight.
