The family of a teenage girl who is fighting for her life in a Turkish hospital have revealed the struggles they now face to get her back home.
15-year-old Lily Nichol was sat having lunch on the last day of her holiday in Turkey when a paraglider crash landed on her. She suffered such horrific injuries her mum was terrified her daughter was dead before she was rushed to hospital with a broken back, jaw and ribs and a bleed on the brain.
According to the family, Lily was "wiped clean out by a man paragliding" as they enjoyed lunch before being picked up for their flight back to Newcastle from Oludeniz on November 8. As part of her recovery, Lily has had to undergo back surgery, which has cost the family £45,000, and made it more difficult to get her back home.
In an update on the gofundme set up to help cover Lily's medical bills, her mum, Lyndsey, said yesterday: "Lily is having her back operation today as we physically cannot move her until that's been operated on".
She added that they were told they "need to get her a flight home four days later", however, it's not as simple as hopping on a plane. Lyndsey explained: "Little did I know, I need to book a medical care plane to get her to the UK so she can have her jaw operation she will be travelling home on a stretcher with medical help.
"I need an ambulance there ready for the plane to land so she can be cared for in a hospital near home. This is going to cost a lot of money plus all her hospital bill[s] for her care [here] in Turkey. I just want our girl home to her family. Please keep sharing and donate whatever you can. Thank you."
So far, 2,400 people have donated to the family's fundraiser, helping raise £41,539 of their £55,000 target. Lyndsey said her and her family's lives "have been ripped apart" by the ordeal, adding: "I'm begging for help our family is doing our best to get the funds together it's really impossible Lily is in a really bad way please donate anything possible I just want [t] get our girl home safe & well [I'll] never get this day out of my head seeing her poor face thinking she was dead we can't get her better without your help [please] I'm begging you all for help".