The family of a Birmingham dad fighting for his life in a Thailand hospital has been given fresh hope after a medical 'miscommunication' left them believing his life support would need to be turned off.
Ethan's ordeal
Ethan Lacey, 20, from Castle Vale, was travelling in Thailand when he suffered critical head injuries after falling from a moving pickup truck at a busy Pattaya intersection on May 16. The young father was then reportedly run over by the vehicle's rear wheel.
His heartbroken family, who eventually traced him to a hospital ICU after days of no contact, said Ethan had a 'small chance' of making 'some kind of recovery'.
Family's struggle
Ethan's grandmother, Anthea Chatwin, launched a GoFundMe appeal to keep her grandson alive as the family faced mounting medical costs. She said Ethan's travel insurance had 'unfortunately run out'.
On Friday, May 22, Anthea wrote: 'After speaking to multiple doctors and getting second opinions, the only option left for Ethan would mean lying there for weeks with a very small chance of survival. And, if he did survive, he would be bedridden, unable to talk, and without any quality of life.'
Miscommunication revealed
But a day later, Anthea reported positive news. 'After speaking to a doctor this morning we've now learned there has been a lot of wrong information and miscommunication,' she said. 'For the first time since we've been here, we were finally able to properly sit down with a doctor and we've been told there is still a very small chance Ethan could make some kind of recovery.'
She added: 'The hospital he is currently in does not even have a neurosurgeon team. We're desperately trying to move him somewhere more suitable.'
Hope for transfer
Anthea travelled to Bangkok and found a hospital willing to take Ethan. 'This hospital has a neuro specialist team, which is exactly what Ethan needs right now,' she said. 'Now we just need the doctor at his current hospital to sign him over.'
She described seeing Ethan in pain as 'absolutely heartbreaking' but said the family is 'overwhelmed' by donations and support, with nearly £11,000 raised. 'The whole of the UK seems to be getting behind Ethan,' she said. 'We still have the biggest fight of our lives ahead of us - getting Ethan strong enough to come back home to the UK and back to his daughter.'
