Hull man 'stung by scorpion' stuck in Thailand with flesh-eating disease

Alan Stephenson is stuck in a hospital in Thailand waiting for his leg to be amputated. Credit: MEN Media

A British man may have to have his leg amputated after apparently being stung by a scorpion in Thailand.

Alan Stephenson, from Bilton in Hull, said he felt what he thought was an insect bite while on holiday and went on to develop a flesh-eating disease affecting his left leg.

The 73-year-old is desperate to return to the UK, but his family face an £18,000 bill to get him home.

Writing on a fundraising web page, son Kristian said: "It appears that my dad had been bitten by an insect, what looked to be a small scorpion."

Kristian, 44, flew out after his father called on 9 November to say he was in hospital in a remote part of the country.

When he arrived, he said the hospital conditions were "terrible", with cockroaches crawling on the ceiling and stray cats eating food meant for patients.

He said his father was in "absolute agony" and that the hospital was unable to cope with his condition.

"It was like something from [television programme] Banged Up Abroad," Kristian added. "I thought 'he is going to die here'."

Kristian said there were stray cats in the hospital eating food meant for patients. Credit: MEN Media

Mr Stephenson suffers from diabetes, which is thought to have contributed to his leg becoming red and swollen. He was then diagnosed with a flesh-eating disease and told amputation was the only realistic option, despite a doctor in the UK saying his leg could be saved.

Kristian added: "His leg looked horrendous, but because he wasn't being turned over or helped out of bed, he had bed sores that were just as bad.

"As this was going on, the place he had been staying was demanding rent and taking his belongings to cover the cost, and the hospital was charging an extortionate amount of medical bills in cash.

"The nearest ATM was around an hour away as the area was so remote, with no place to even get a cold drink nearby."

Kristian flew out to see his dad Alan after hearing he was in hospital. Credit: MEN Media

The family decided to move him to another hospital in a small town, where medics said they could carry out an amputation, but Kristian said the operation had been rescheduled several times, leaving the family having to pay more in hospital fees.

He has asked for help from the British Embassy but says it "has shown no interest in the case" and that "the government would not contribute to any costs towards flying [Alan] home to be saved".

Instead, Kristian is receiving help from Hull East MP Karl Turner, who advised the family to get in touch with a medical repatriation team. They then found a company based in East Yorkshire.

Alan was diagnosed with flesh-eating disease which has affected from his foot up to his knee. Credit: MEN Media

Kristian said: "My dad has received a fit-to-fly certificate and he is starting to look better in himself, but now we face raising £18,000 to pay for the service, which is the lowest rate possible.

"The plan now is to get my dad back to Hull and save his life. We know he will most likely be disabled for the rest of his life, but we are hoping he can somewhat recover."

Kristian has set up a JustGiving page to raise the £18,000 needed to fly his father home.

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