Heartbroken family set up fundraiser to bring son home as he fights for his life abroad

A mother has spoken of her family’s anguish as her son is fighting for his life in a hospital bed abroad after a horrific motorcycle crash. 

Jay Bridgehouse, a dad-of-five from Stockport, was on the trip of a lifetime ‘to chase his dreams’ with his girlfriend Naomi in Thailand before he collided with a pick-up truck on the evening Friday February 25th, at around 8.30pm (UK time).

His family claim the driver was travelling at speed when the crash happened, while Jay, 32, was riding his motorbike without a helmet. He was immediately rushed to the Koh Samui International Hospital, where he currently remains in a critical condition.

Jay had been on the phone to Naomi and forgot to end the call properly just moments before, meaning she had to endure hearing the horrific collision. His family back home received the heartbreaking news from over 5,000 miles away.

Jay was taken into life-saving surgery to remove a bleed on his brain and suffered multiple skull and facial fractures, as well as to his body. Doctors expected him to come round after the emergency surgery within four to six hours but he slipped into a coma.

His parents are out there by his side along with other family members as they hope and pray for Jay to pull through. Following the surgery, Jay developed a second bleed on the brain and then caught pneumonia.

He is now hooked-up to a ventilator as he is unable to breathe independently. Recent CT scans and tests have revealed that Jay has minimal brain activity due to infarctions throughout his brain. His family said the first round of surgery led to an infection in his brain which has since spread into his bloodstream causing him to now develop sepsis.

His medical bills currently stand at £10,000 with costs racking up daily and his family desperate to bring him home. The British Consulate helped to secure emergency travel documents and passports so Jay’s family could fly to Thailand and be with him.

But in order to bring him back to the UK for further treatment and a medical evacuation while he is reliant on a ventilator, his family say it’s estimated to cost around £32,000. Jay’s sister Abbie Bridgehouse has set up a Go Fund Me page and the family have urged the public to help with any small donation they can to help bring their boy home and get him a medical evaluation.

Jay’s sister Abbie has described him as a ‘fun loving, and often teasing, big brother’. She said: “He is an avid Manchester United fan and watched the games whenever he could. He has been known to blast out an out of tune version of Tom Jones ‘Delilah’ on the karaoke whenever he had the chance.

“Jay is Manchester born and bred, still very connected with home, top of his playlist is Aitch, the rapper from Moston, Manchester. He was in contact with home often and always ended his calls with ‘I love you all the world big sausages’ and ‘I miss you.’”

Abbie said the family have borrowed money and maxed out credit cards’ to be in Thailand with Jay, and now have ‘nowhere else to turn other than to beg for the generosity and kindness of family, friends and strangers’ to help save him.

She added: “We are asking for help to bring our boy home to Manchester. We are asking for help to pay Jay’s medical bills. We are asking for help to sit by Jay’s bedside, so he is not alone while we hold his hand, and he fights for his life.”

Family friend Claire Parry has asked for anyone who can help to make donation, ‘even if it’s £1’. At time of writing, the Bridgehouse family have so far raised over £21,000 with the help of the public’s donations, with a goal of reaching £50,000 to cover costs.

Part of the donation page says: “The hospital staff have recommended that we go to the public for help and suggested #GoFundMe and have said they will support us with any paperwork, if you’re reading this and feel apprehensive about donating…

“We are asking for help to sit by Jay’s bedside, so he is not alone while we hold his hand, and he fights for his life. Thank you for reading this. Thank you for helping. Thank you for caring.

“You never think something like this will happen to you and, as a family, we thought that too. If you can help, with whatever you can afford, our family will be very grateful. As a family we appreciate any help you can offer in our darkest time of need, but as his baby sister, I am appealing to anyone and everyone to share this. Please X”