A YOUNG mum was left in a coma and almost died after a botched £1,500 gastric sleeve operation in Turkey.
Chloe Quick, 23, suffered a bleed and collapsed just hours after undergoing the “nightmare” procedure last Friday.
The NHS worker has now been left with a medical bill of thousands of pounds after suffering complications of the weight-loss op.
An endoscopy discovered her spleen had ruptured and she needed life-saving emergency surgery.
Chloe was then put in a medically induced coma, with her family being told there was only a 50 per cent chance she would pull through.
But the Hereford mum survived and she is now recovering from the horror ordeal at a private clinic in Istanbul.
Her family and friends are now fundraising in the hope of covering the £5,300 bill for emergency treatment and to get her home.
Chloe, a health care assistant at Hereford County Hospital, is currently having to stay in hospital for a longer period as she risks bloods clots if she flies too soon.
Her best friend Leah Mattson, 23, who has also had gastric sleeve surgery at a different Turkey clinic, set up a GoFundMe page to cover the costs.
She said: “Chloe has always worried about money and the only thing she was scared of before her surgery was handing over that large amount of money, never did she believe she would nearly not come home.
“I feel sick for her, she just came so close to losing her life and now they are asking for money she doesn’t have.
“Chloe is the last person to ask for help when she needs it, she worked her self to the bone to save this money for the surgery doing extra shifts at the hospital.
“I had this surgery myself and was an inspiration to Chloe to get it done as mine was successful, it breaks my heart and eats me up that hers went wrong.”
Leah said the surgery had originally been deemed a success until later that evening Chloe suffered a sharp pain and blood gushed into her drain.
She added: “They had to perform emergency surgery to re-do the sleeve and repair her spleen.
“They had to put her into a medically induced coma.
“The staff told Chloe’s dad that there was a 50/50 chance of her pulling through this and the next 24 hours were crucial.
“This was life or death for Chloe, her family and close friends have been so worried the last few days not knowing if she was going to make it home to her two-year-old son.”
More than £1,000 has been raised so far towards a target of £5,000 to help cover Chloe’s costs.
The family say they do not want to identify the clinic involved as she remains in their care.
DOING research is crucial if you're considering getting cosmetic surgery done overseas, the NHS advises.
It may be less expensive than in the UK, but you must balance the hazards and potential savings as standards for safety might not be as strict.
Surgery carries some risk. After surgery, complications can arise in the UK or overseas.
The onus of providing follow-up therapy falls on the surgeon in the UK if you experience complications following an operation.
It’s possible that follow-up care in overseas clinics is either not offered at all or is not offered to the same standard as in the UK.
Additionally, it’s possible that they don’t have a UK-based medical expert you can contact in case of issues.
If someone is considering cosmetic surgery, most advice is very much the same whether they receive treatment in the UK or overseas.
Learn everything you can about the aesthetic procedure.
This includes the consultations, the procedure itself, any risks or complications, and aftercare.
You run a higher risk of a potentially fatal blood clot if you fly or have serious surgery.
It is advised that you avoid flying for five to seven days following treatments like liposuction and breast surgery, and for seven to ten days following tummy tucks or cosmetic facial procedures.
You can access the NHS website to find out more.
