The family of a British man who has been in a coma in Turkey for the last three months say they have been left in a 'state of limbo' with laws in the country dictating that life support cannot be turned off.
Mark Dixon retired with his wife Brenda to Turkey and had been enjoying life there when he suffered three cardiac arrests on November 19, 2022. The 60-year-old was rushed to hospital and placed into a coma but sadly hasn't woken up since.
His family say that doctors believe he has suffered brain damage and will never be able to function independently. But they claim that they've been told Islamic law will not allow him to be taken off of life support - leaving them in an agonising state of limbo.
With life insurance unwilling to pay out, the family are facing an ever increasing medical bill of £80,000.
"I know people live with brain damage," his stepdaughter, Nicola Jackson, told Manchester Evening News. "But he wouldn't be awake. There would be no quality of life to him, no quality of life for my mum. I don't understand the logic. It baffles me.
"This could go on for years. I know it should be anything to do with the money, but it'll end up killing my mum with the stress. They did some brain scans and they said he isn't brain dead but there's only very small brain activity."
She added: "They thought he might wake up, but as time goes on, there is less chance of him going back to his normal state. We asked him if they expect him to wake up and they said no. And if he did wake up, he would still be in that state.
"He would be in bed. He wouldn't be able to breathe on his own, eat on his own or go to the bathroom on his own. It's just awful. I've been back and forth to Turkey as much as I can.
"They've tried to take him off the ventilator several times and he can breathe for about 20 minutes then they have to put him back on. He goes into panic. Mark wouldn't want to live - he wouldn't want to put his family and my mum through that. He wouldn't even know us."
Mark and Brenda, 70, from Ashton-under-Lyne, had been living in Turkey for just nine months when Mark became suddenly unwell at their home in Icmeler.
He has been lying in bed for several hours due to feeling lethargic but things took a turn for the worst as he got up to use the bathroom.
Brenda heard Mark shout for an ambulance and quickly called emergency services.
At a private hospital doctors told Brenda that they thought Mark's kidneys had stopped working but he'd actually suffered a cardiac arrest.
Mark was transferred to a state hospital in Aydin, around three hours away from his home, as the private hospital didn't have the facilities to accommodate him.
The retired factory supervisor went into cardiac arrest twice more during the journey and had to put in a coma as his condition worsened. Despite attempts to reduce his sedation and wake him up, Mark is still in a coma.
His insurance policy won't cover his care because the claim was made within 12 months of the policy starting. Nicola says that her family are desperate to bring Mark back to the UK in an attempt to save his life and have appealed for help.
"I'm not saying they haven't looked after him in Turkey because the care has been really good," Nicola said.
"But if we could bring him back to the UK, then at least he's back in the UK. We have asked the question about moving him either to nearer to their home or back to the UK, but the consultants have said it's too risky. We just have to take it day by day."
Nicola, who lives in Audenshaw, has set up a GoFundMe campaign to help raise funds to take "a little bit of pressure" off her mum during this tragic situation.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson said: "We have provided support to the family of a British man who was hospitalised in Turkey."
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