Brit mum, 41, tells of terrifying fight for life after being struck down by mystery bug in Turkey
A BRIT mum-of-two has revealed her terrifying fight for life after being struck down by a mystery bug in Turkey.
Michaela Heathcote, 41, from Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, travelled to Turkey for a break in September.
She said: “It was a horrific experience. I don’t even remember being bad or ill. What I know is what people have told me afterwards.”
Speaking to the Chronicle Live after her recent return to the UK, the mum said her worried family had to borrow money to help pay hospital costs of more than £9,000.
Michaela was in Turkey to see an apartment she had hoped to rent.
However, on the day she was due to fly back home from Dalaman Airport, she was told she could not board the plane as her temperature was high.
She stayed in Turkey and alerted her son Jordan, 22, in Manchester.
But her health continued to deteriorate and on October 1 she was admitted to hospital.
Jordan was warned that his mum had become seriously ill and she was fighting for survival on life support at a state hospital in Fetiye.
The family started a GoFundMe appeal to raise money to help pay for her bills.
Michaela told the Chronicle she had struggled to organise insurance prior to her trip, as she has had problems with past policies because of previous health issues.
Michaela described waking up on life support, with “no clue where I was or which country I was in”.
Struggling to breathe on her own, a doctor told her she wasn’t well enough for a flight home. She had to be given blood at one stage.
Adding to her woes, Michaela became infected with coronavirus, followed by a bout of pneumonia.
The Brit became so ill – even her foot turned ‘green’ from the lack of movement – that she feared she’d never “get a chance to say goodbye to anyone”.
Jordan said at the time that his mum was suffering from liver failure.
Michaela’s mum flew over to support her daughter, and nearly £6,000 raised via GoFundMe is helping to cover the medical fees.
Unfortunately, the hospital was unable to confirm what caused her to become ill.
She said that although she is finally back home after her stressful ordeal, her fight to regain better health continues.
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Michaela hopes that further tests will reveal what struck her down, as her “lungs are really bad” and she’s still “struggling with breathing”.
However, the mum was keen to pass on a “massive thank you to everyone who has helped” by giving money towards her hospital bills.
She said she was “grateful and thankful to everyone who donated”.