HELP US BRING DAD HOME
Cyclist John fighting for life after horror crash in Spain
A SCOTS cyclist is fighting for his life after a horror crash in Spain.
John Telfer, 57, defied predictions to survive but his family are desperate to bring him home and an
online appeal has been launched to fund an air ambulance back to Scotland.
Retired lecturer John, from East Calder, West Lothian, was not expected to survive the day following the accident – in which he broke his neck in two places – 18 days ago.
He came off his bike after crashing into a friend who had been unseated by hitting a raised tree root as they cycled near Alicante.
He was in a coma for two weeks and now has pneumonia.
His family say he is receiving excellent care but the language barrier and the distance from home are creating problems.
His son Gregg said yesterday: “He wasn’t expected to survive to the end of that day – but he’s still fighting for his life.
“My dad has now been fighting for his life for 18 days and is currently critical in ICU in a highly Spanishspeaking hospital.
“He has no vocal cords due to tracheostomy and cannot move from the neck down to show us his needs or emotions.
“The care is fantastic within La Ribera hospital and we owe his life to them but the language barrier is so tough and we need to try and get him home as soon as they release him to us.
“We are travelling over three hours a day to visit him for just a few minutes at a time.
“We’ve been overwhelmed at the generosity and support we’ve received during this traumatic time.”
Fourteen years ago, John was badly hurt in a previous cycling accident and his head and neck injuries forced him to leave his job as a prison officer.
Gregg added that he had been expecting to see his mum and dad the day after the accident, when they were due to return from Spain.
He said: “Unfortunately on the morning of May 4, I received a panicked call from my mum just after the accident had happened.
“He was not expected to see out
We have been amazed by the support and the generosity we received SON GREGG
the day. We thought he was going to die doing something he loved .”
Gregg said the family are desperate to get John, who was also a submariner in the Royal Navy, back to Scotland. But doctors say that he is still too ill to be moved.
He added: “My dad has friends all over the world and they’ve set up a fundraising page in the hope we can transfer him by air ambulance to Scotland.
“It can cost between £20,000 and £30,000 and the type of insurance my parents have doesn’t cover them for this.”
Family friend Jo Pugh, who has set up the donation page, said: “While delighted with the specialist care John has received, the family are keen to return him to Scotland to a specialist spinal unit to begin stabilisation and recovery, with all close family there to support.
“The only means of transferring him is a private air ambulance requiring both a doctor and nurse present with specialist equipment to ensure he can survive the journey.
“We are raising the money for the air ambulance with a doctor on board and ongoing costs of medical items.” ●To help the appeal, go to www. gofundme.com/johntelfer