Woman 'fifty-fifty' following gastric surgery

Leah Mattson (right) has set up a crowdfunding appeal for her best friend Chloe Quick

A woman is stuck in Turkey after gastric surgery to help her lose weight went wrong, leaving her fighting for her life.

Chloe Quick, 23, a healthcare assistant at Hereford's County Hospital, went to Istanbul for a gastric sleeve, where a private surgeon would shrink her stomach.

But Friday's operation led to major blood loss and a ruptured spleen. Medics put Mrs Quick into a medically induced coma on Saturday and told her father she had a 50/50 chance of survival.

A total of £5,300 has had to be paid for emergency treatment and best friend Leah Mattson has set up a Go Fund Me appeal.

Because the mother-of-one wanted to get back to the UK quickly, she changed the company she was having the surgery with a couple of days before arriving, meaning travel insurance was invalid.

Ms Mattson said her friend had been planning the trip for more than a year.

"All her family have been worried sick, because she is the nicest, loveliest person there is," she said.

Ms Mattson added her friend had pursued surgery "mainly for her health, not vanity" so she could be more active with her son.

She had budgeted £2,000 and the company she was with charged £1,600.

Ms Mattson said her friend had spent time talking to the surgeon and even some of his previous patients.

Ms Mattson said her friend was virtually "bed bound" but was at least managing to drink slowly now.

Mrs Quick was in a coma for about 40 hours from Saturday, she said, and was "coming along really well in the last couple of days".

But the friend added: "She can't sleep, because she's terrified that if she sleeps, she's not going to wake up."

Chloe Quick remains in an Istanbul hospital

Consultant bariatric surgeon Martin Wadley, from Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, said staff had seen about five or six patients admitted last year with "really serious problems after this type of surgery in Turkey".

He added: "The resources we have in the UK... the waiting lists are long and people seeking private care know that the treatment in Turkey is much, much cheaper.

"The safeguards that you get in the UK, you get a very good pre-operative assessment, patients will see specialist nurses, dieticians, psychologists, physicians with specialist interests."