Ill tourist back home as donors dig deep

A TOURIST who racked up £40,000 worth of medical bills when he collapsed with a rare condition in Thailand is back home in South Yorkshire.

Boxing coach Craig Lindley, from Barnsley, was trapped in a hospital bed in Bangkok for a fortnight after being left near-paralysed by Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) – a rare condition of the peripheral nervous system .

The 35-year-old’s family had to launch a fundraising drive to foot the costs of his care after discovering that he did not have travel insurance. An internet malfunction was blamed for the lack of cover.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Donations, which have now reached £34,000, funded life-saving treatment and enabled Mr Lindley to get well enough to return home on a scheduled flight yesterday morning accompanied by his brother Karl.

Doctors in Barnsley are now reviewing his medical records to decide the next course of treatment for GBS, which has stroke-like symptoms.

While there is still an outstanding £10,000 to be paid to medics in Bangkok, where each night in the hospital cost £1,000, Mr Lindley’s family are celebrating the news that he is likely to make a full recovery with the aid of physiotherapy.

Family friend Charlotte Andrews, who has overseen the fund-
raising campaign via a Facebook page, said: “It’s incredible. Everyone around Craig can’t believe what a recovery he has made.

“People have been so generous and I know Craig and his family are extremely grateful for every single penny people have donated.”

Mr Lindley’s father Frank said: “It’s a relief to have him home.”