A DESPERATE dad last night issued a plea for help to fly his seriously-ill daughter home from Thailand as she battles a mystery bug.

James Geddes, 48, has launched a fundraising drive as fears for the health of 25-year-old Rebekah Fulton grow.

Rebekah, a former pupil at Gleniffer High School in Paisley, is being treated at a hospital on the paradise island of Phuket but doctors haven’t been able to confirm what is wrong with her.

The bid to bring her back to Scotland so she can receive treatment closer to home has generated thousands of pounds within the space of 24 hours.

Speaking exclusively to The Gazette from Thailand as he keeps a vigil at his daughter’s hospital bed, James said: “It is very difficult. She’s my girl and it is so difficult to see her lying there.
“I just feel helpless.”

Rebekah had been travelling around Asia and Australia before settling down on the Thai island of Ko Phi Phi Don, where she holds a non-visitor status visa.

She had complained of an ear infection but the extent of her illness only became clear to James last week when the owner of the hostel where she was staying called him to raise the alarm.

James, from Barrhead, said: “Last Tuesday, Rebekah was complaining that she was hot and very tired. She wasn’t eating properly and had no appetite.

“On Thursday, the person who owns the hostel she is living in on the island phoned to tell me she was very ill but wasn’t fit enough to travel.”

James decided to fly to Thailand and arrived on Ko Phi Phi Don on Sunday before taking Rebekah straight to the island’s medical facility.

He added: “They tried to treat her but, because they didn’t have the facilities, I had to get a private speedboat to get her off the island and over to Phuket.

“Rebekah had a brain scan today and they are talking about the possibility of her having meningitis, encephalitis or something similar.

“It is very, very difficult. I’m taking this minute by minute.”
James said he has been overwhelmed with the support he has received since setting up a GoFundMe page in the hope of raising enough money to fly Rebekah home.

“I contacted a company in England about flying her home and was told it would be a minimum of £20,000 – and that is just for a medical assistant,” he added.

To make a donation, visit the GoFundMe homepage and search for ‘Get Rebekah Home.’