Tragic twist after tourist falls ill on holiday, gets stranded

A tourist who got stranded in Thailand after falling ill on holiday has died.

British man Dean Penson became unwell in November. The 41-year-old was rushed to hospital for blood and platelet transfusions. Medics feared he had leukaemia.

“He is struggling to see, as he has had a bleed behind both eyes due to blood-thinning,” his friend Ben Page, who organised a fundraiser to pay for his treatment abroad and to get him home, as he had no travel insurance, said at the time.

Ben had flown to Thailand because hospital staff had told him someone needed to escort Dean home. “He is a good man, and if he could, he would do the same for all his friends,” he said.

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Mate helps man return home

Having raised a large chunk of his A$30,000 target, Ben managed to get Dean, 41, back to the UK after he’d spent 10 days in a hospital in Phuket.

He was admitted to Southend Hospital in Essex, near where he lived, on November 30. Sadly, he died at Southend Hospital on January 19.

“Been at the hospital a couple of hours ago and I’m afraid Dean’s not with us anymore,” a devastated Ben said in an update. “It’s very sad news. Amazing person. Loved him loads. Best mate in the whole world.”

He said there had been “a few complications”. “A few things. He had a very rare blood disorder as well,” he explained. “He couldn’t create platelets and bone marrow.”

“We’re all going to miss him with all our hearts. He was the soul of the party.”

Another friend commented, describing Dean's death as “such sad and tragic news”. “Been thinking of him since he fell ill and hoping he would recover. RIP Dean,” she said.

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