Family of Coventry beautician who fell from Thai hotel balcony need £100,000 to bring her home

Maddi Neale-Shankster, pictured in 2020, will need a specialist medical team to fly home.

The family of a young woman who suffered life-threatening injuries have set up a fundraising page to help bring their daughter home from Thailand.

Maddi Neale-Shankster fell more than 60ft from her balcony in a hotel in Thailand while she was on a three-week holiday with her partner.

The 21-year-old, who's from Coventry, may never walk again after suffering from spinal fractures and blood and fluid on her chest.

Her family say she lay on the pavement for more than 40 minutes while she waited for an ambulance.

Her parents are hoping to raise £100,000 so Maddi can return home and continue medical treatment.

After rushing to be her daughter's side, Karen Neale, Maddi's mum, said: "Since the fall we are now coping with the realisation that potentially she may never walk again."

Writing on the GoFundMe Page, she set up to raise the funds needed to bring Maddi home, she said: "As a family, we are absolutely devastated to learn that Maddi didn’t have adequate travel insurance to cover repatriation."

"Our biggest concern now is bringing her home.

"Her lungs aren’t stable enough to fly without ICD drains on both sides, but to fly with drains requires a repatriation team to fly over with all necessary medical equipment and fly her home safely."

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If Maddi is unable to have her lungs drained, be properly looked after, or fly without ICD drains then she will need to stay in Thailand for up to another year, before being medically fit to fly home.

"This is not an option, every single minute here is time taken away from her rehabilitation at home and a chance to get the right help to encourage walking again," Karen Neale continued.

The GoFundMe has raised £53,495, more than half the target, with more than 600 people donating.

The 21-year-old's family have reassured people donating that " donations will only go on medication and transfer costs."

"If we are lucky enough to exceed this target all donations will go to other charities and hopefully help someone else in as much need as Maddi is Any donations at all we are extremely grateful," they added.

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