Brit mum left brain damaged and fighting for life after botched nose job in Turkey as family hold bedside vigil
A BRITISH mum and teacher is fighting for her life in a Turkish ICU after going into cardiac arrest during nose job surgery.
Michelle Williams, 46, has been left with a brain injury and breathing through a tracheostomy tube in her throat after the 'nightmare' op.
The teacher from east London with a “zest for life” is unlikely ever to recover fully after her ordeal in a Turkish hospital, that has left her fighting for her life in intensive care.
'NIGHTMARE'
“It is a nightmare,” sister Nikisha Lynch, 37, told The Sun Online.
“Michelle has been through a lot. She has not regained consciousness after what happened and she has got some brain damage, but we don’t know to what extent.”
The devastating ordeal began when Ms Williams – who had been working in Turkey as a Year 6 primary school teacher – decided to undergo rhinoplasty surgery during the school summer holidays.
The keen ice skater and Scrabble fan booked the procedure, which costs around £3,500, at the private Academic Hospital in Istanbul.
First thing in the morning of August 14, excited Ms Williams called family to let them know she was about to go into surgery.
It was the last time her three sisters, 65-year-old mum, and daughter LaCharné Gray, 27, would hear from her.
“I spoke to Michelle at 7.20am and the next thing, I got a phone call at about 12.20pm telling me that she had suffered a cardiac arrest,” said Ms Lynch.
“I was shocked. We flew straight over to Istanbul and have taken it in turns to go there ever since.”
CARDIAC ARREST
The family discovered that after Ms Williams was given the general anaesthetic, she suffered a cardiac arrest followed by seizures lasting on and off for 3 hours.
These left her with hypoxia on her brain, a brain injury caused by a lack of oxygen supply.
Since the op went wrong, Ms Williams has also been hit with pneumonia, and had to have a feeding tube fitted into her stomach.
“Michelle entered the private hospital completely healthy and what her future will look like no one knows,” added her sister, a qualified social worker who has previously studied operating department practice.
“She has a zest for life and loves spending time with her family. My hope is she comes home and can get the correct treatment.
“We just don’t know what damage has been done.”
Ms Lynch added the family is suing the hospital for medical negligence.
Lawyer Burcu Holmgren, of London Legal International, is working with the family and said: “I have spoken to hospital management in detail. We are in the process of suing the hospital.
“We contacted the British Consulate in Istanbul and also the Turkish Health Ministry, they are investigating the situation."
The Sun Online has contacted the hospital for comment.
The family hopes that after 12 long weeks in intensive care in Turkey, they can now make plans to bring their beloved relative back to the UK.
A Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office spokesperson said: “Our staff are supporting a British woman in hospital in Turkey. We have offered advice to her, and are in contact with her family, her legal representatives and the Turkish health authorities.”
MEDICAL TOURISM
The medical tourism industry has boomed in Turkey, with latest figures estimating it to be worth at least £1.8bn as people flock to the country for treatments including hair transplants and nose jobs at reduced prices.
Turkey has made healthcare the central focus of its national tourism development plan and had aimed to bring in two million patients annually by 2023, with measures including a VAT exemption for medical tourists.
Despite this, a 2018 investigation found Turkey is the worst place in the world for botched operations on Brits, with more than £30m spent by the NHS to correct the results of dodgy surgery.
One woman says she was left “deformed” after FIVE botched boob jobs, while mum-of-three Leah Cambridge, 29, died after a Brazilian butt lift went wrong in 2018.
“People are putting their lives in the hands of these people offering medical procedures and they don't really necessarily know the risks involved,” added sister Ms Lynch.
Ms Williams’ family has been fund raising to get her back to the UK, as well as cover legal fees, the hospital costs and rehabilitation.
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Having raised almost £23,000 for the cost of an air ambulance, the family now hopes to raise enough to continue her medical treatment and care for the future.
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