‘Critical’ judo star’s fund goes past £150,000
A SCOTS judo star is still in a critical condition in hospital as the fundraising campaign set up to help pay for her medical costs climbed to more than £155,000.
Stephanie Inglis, who won silver at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, suffered serious head injuries when she was dragged from a motorbike in Vietnam after her skirt became tangled in a wheel.
The accident happened in the town of Ha Long last Thursday, when she was being taxied to a school in the area to teach an English class.
Her parents, Robert, 54, and Alison, 52, have flown to South-East Asia from the family home in Inverness to be by her bedside.
Her medical care is said to be costing around £2,000 per day and a GoFundMe page was set up by a fellow judo athlete to help cover her costs.
Family friend Tracy Gehlan said yesterday that Miss Inglis’s parents ‘have been overwhelmed by the support from everyone’. She added: ‘I am in touch with them daily to get a progress report on Stephanie and as of this moment her condition remains critical and we just have to manage this day by day.
‘They have said that they can only focus on Stephanie at this time but please can her friends, family and the thousands of people supporting her continue to do so.
‘It’s likely to be a long struggle for Stephanie and her family, so every single generous contribution they recieve is vital to aid Stephanie’s recovery. The support for Stephanie is beyond words, but please keep fighting to help as Stephanie and her family continue the fight to recover her health.’
On the fundraising page, Miss Inglis’s father said: ‘We have no words to describe how over- whelmed we are.
‘The generosity and support have left us numb.
‘Stephanie is now receiving much better care, thanks for getting this page up and running. Thank you everyone who has donated, no words can describe our feelings.
‘We thought we were all on our own out here but now we feel surrounded with all the well wishes and support we’ve been receiving. Thank you, thank you, thank you.’
Donations include £500 from Travis frontman Fran Healy and £10,000 from Les Hutchison, the former owner of Motherwell Football Club.
Miss Inglis had been taking a break from judo to teach English to children in Vietnam. She had been there since January 8 and was due back in two weeks.
Following the accident, her sister Stacey said: ‘She was on the back of a taxi motorbike. The back part of her dress got caught around the tyre, which dragged her off the bike and she hit her head.
‘My parents have been in touch with the embassy and there’s going to be an investigation.
‘This was her last week of teaching. She was going around this week gathering her memories and taking photographs with the children.
‘She loved what she was doing and they enjoyed having her there.’
‘Overwhelmed by support’