A retired Brit pilot stuck is stuck in Thailand after a horror stroke.
Paul Stubbs, 72, had travelled to the country with his wife to visit her hometown.
Once there, he suffered a stroke, which left him with right-sided paralysis and a dangerous blockage in his carotid arteries, the major blood vessels supplying blood to the brain.
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His daughter, Lucy, from London, said her father is now in a critical window where any rise in blood pressure or change in altitude could trigger a second stroke — one doctors have warned could be fatal.
Doctors in Thailand have been treating Paul but the family says the costs are rising rapidly and time is running out.
They are now trying to raise £35,000 for a specialist medical repatriation flight to bring him safely back to Britain, where he can access vascular surgery and specialist stroke rehabilitation.
“He is in an incredibly fragile condition,” Lucy told Need To Know.
“Any change could cause another stroke.
“We’ve been told it could kill him.
“My dad has always been a man of his word.
“He promised my mum who is Thai that once my sister and I finished university, they would return to her town in Chiang Rai so she could reconnect with her family and her home.
“But it has become a nightmare.”
Paul suffered a stroke on 22 March.
Lucy and her sister have been coordinating support from the UK ever since.
She added: “We aren’t the kind of family that asks for help.
“We always try to be the ones who figure it out.
“But we’ve hit a wall we simply can’t climb alone.”
According to the family, Paul is too weak to travel on a standard flight.
Medical professionals have warned that due to his condition, he requires a specialist repatriation team with intensive monitoring and oxygen support to survive the journey.
Lucy said they received a quote from SkyCare Repatriation, estimating the total cost at £35,000.
Their savings are rapidly being drained by emergency hospital bills, alongside the cost of maintaining legal visa requirements while the parents remain in Thailand.
She added: “The doctors have been incredible.
“But if we don’t get him home for surgery and NHS rehabilitation, he faces the very real risk of a second, fatal stroke.
“I desperately want him to be there for the milestones I still have ahead of me.
“If we can get him back home, he can be with us for many more years.
“We will do whatever it takes to make sure he survives and thrives back in the UK
“But we can’t get him across the finish line without help.”
At the time of writing, Gofundme page set up for the cause had raised £10,630 towards its total of £35,000.
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