Newcastle chef, 29, could lose his leg after horror Crete motorbike accident

A chef from Monkseaton could lose his leg if he does not get the funds to fly back to the UK for emergency surgery following a motorbike accident in Greece.

Ryan Brooke is currently in hospital in Crete with major injuries to his right tibia, including multiple fractures, major soft tissue loss to the bone and major blood loss.

The 29-year-old, who works at popular Newcastle restaurant Lola Jeans, has already undergone one major operation to stabilise his leg, but he needs urgent surgery that is only available in the UK.

His girlfriend, Elaine Lo-Giudice, is now trying to raise £45,000 to pay for a private air ambulance as insurance doesn't cover it.

She says his only other option is losing his leg so he can be discharged from the hospital in Crete.

Elaine said: "Ryan was previously a 200 and 400 meter sprinter for England, as well as a keen rugby player. He works on his feet as a chef. The thought of him losing his leg feels incomprehensible, given that it boils down to the amount of money he has to pay to get home."

It was the couple's first holiday together and Elaine says they were both "buzzing" to get away, after booking up in November.

She says she got woken up by a knock on the door in the early hours of Friday (2 June) morning. A member of hotel staff told her Ryan had been in a bike accident and was in hospital.

Elaine said: "I just panicked. I was half asleep. I was thinking 'what's happened'? It was horrible, I didn't know what was going on.

"The language barrier was an issue and I couldn't really understand what they were saying. I just knew he had fractures but I didn't know whether it was his leg, or his head or anything."

"We were so excited for the holiday, we've been absolutely buzzing about it. We booked it in November," she added.

Without an air ambulance, Ryan would have to wait until Friday to take a commercial flight as it needs to be seven days post-surgery.

He would then have to lay across three seats on two commercial flights and then get an ambulance from London back to the North East.

Elaine says the longer they have to wait though, the more likely it is that he will lose his leg.

She added: "Without a leg, he won't be able to work. He's a chef which means he is on his feet every day. And mentally... how would anyone feel without a leg?"

Ryan is conscious but Elaine says he is in a lot of pain and cannot remember what happened. No one else was hurt in the incident.

She said: "I'm just really thankful for everyone for their support. It's been a nightmare."

Almost £6,000 has been raised in 24 hours, and as soon as the total is reached an air ambulance can be arranged to transport Ryan back to the UK a day later.

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To know...