Julie explained, ‘He told me the day before. I told him I couldn’t stop him but that he didn’t need it.’
After the surgery, Joe had messaged his mum saying he was ‘in a lot of pain’ and she told him to ask for painkillers.
For the next two days, Julie and husband Michael, 57, didn’t hear from Joe. They assumed he was recovering until police turned up at Julie’s work with the heartbreaking news.
A death certificate in Turkey ruled Joe had died from ‘natural causes’ but a postmortem in Britain blamed internal bleeding after surgery.
Julie said, ‘He was a 25-year-old with his whole life ahead of him.
‘Now I can’t stop thinking of all the other young people who want a butt lift or want something doing to their face. I hope anyone considering this reads our story and doesn’t take it lightly.’
According to Australian Government site Smartraveller, each year over 15,000 citizens travel overseas for a procedure.
Although most don’t suffer serious complications, the website states, ‘unfortunately, things don’t always go as planned.’
It urges those who are considering medical tourism to gather all the information before you leave Australia – including researching the hospital, procedure and surgeon performing it – to ensure you make an informed choice.
