Friends have issued a warning after a woman travelled to Turkey for a gastric band revision.
Lois Tamar Brown, 61, of Onslow Road, travelled to Spain several years ago for a gastric band to help aid weight loss. But after she gained the weight she had originally lost over the years, she decided to travel to Turkey last year to "fix it".
Aiming to get a revision for her gastric band, Ms Brown was given a surgical procedure but soon developed "complications" in the form of infection and abdominal bleeding. From there she deteriorated and required "life saving surgery", but she tragically died in Istanbul on October 30, 2022.
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An inquest was held into the death of the retired nursery nurse at the Gerard Majella Courthouse on Wednesday where area coroner Ms Anita Bhardwaj said due to the Turkish jurisdiction, limited medical notes were obtained. She told the hearing it was "not clear" what procedure they were going to do and so there were "missing jigsaw puzzles".
Close friends of Ms Brown, Sue and Margaret, attended the hearing where Sue told the court Ms Brown had "wanted to fix (the gastric band)" after she gained weight again. She added that when she hadn't heard from her friend in 24-hours, she rang the hospital and spoke to the surgeon.
He told her she required surgery three times before saying "we lost her". Ms Bhardwaj said this type of procedure was "risky" and there's always a risk of complications, regardless of where it is done.
Speaking to the ECHO after the inquest, Sue and Margaret said they would urge other people to "think of the wider implications" before travelling abroad for surgery or procedures. Sue told the ECHO: "People need to be aware when you go abroad and die, it's what family and friends have to do to get the body back.
"People don't think of that, they don't think it will cost money and you may never get the (medical) reports so you'll never know. If you are going abroad, think about if anything could go wrong."
Margaret added: "It's almost like she was cargo. To go a foreign country where you don't speak the language and don't know the climate or the food, on your own without friends family, that network, and die alone is horrible."
At the inquest on Wednesday, a heartwarming tribute was paid to Ms Brown who was described as a "lovely lady with the biggest heart". Margaret said her friend, who she met at church, was "very gifted" and loved to bake and be artistically creative, sketching for the parish newsletters and drawing cartoons.
She added: "Living in Kensington, there was an altercation where three young people were attacking a homeless person. Lois went straight in and said what are you doing, she got loads of abuse but she said 'I didn't even think, I thought this isn't going to happen', and that's the sort of person she was."
Sue, who met Ms Brown in Hollywood over 30 years ago where they both worked as nannies, said her friend was a "massive dog lover".
Recording a narrative conclusion, Ms Bhardwaj said Ms Brown died from complications of bariatric surgery as she said the 61-year-old, who was a former English teacher, sounded like she has "left a legacy". The coroner added: "She was a very creative individual and very talented. I think you will be talking about her memories for a long, long time."
The Parish of St Anne and St Bernard paid tribute online after Ms Brown's death came as a "terrible shock". They wrote: "Last Sunday after Mass we heard that Lois had died.
"I knew she had undergone surgery in a hospital in Istanbul, and that problems had developed, but news of her death came as a terrible shock. Her body was returned to Liverpool today but there will have to be a post mortem here. Many questions need to be answered.
"Lois was a parishioner who did things no one knew about. She was very artistic and a wizz with computers. Many times she sorted me out. She helped create our Creation Chapel and, my pride and joy, the beautiful glass painting of the risen Christ, in my top window, lighted up and blessing all who passed by. We will miss her and her skills terribly. Her Requiem Mass will await the Coroner’s report. May she rest in peace."
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