Scots mum issues urgent Turkey holiday warning after son 'almost came home in body bag'
A woman has issued a warning to families after claiming her dream holiday to Turkey turned into a nightmare.
Ashley Bain said her family – her husband Jamie, her two children and her in-laws – usually went away once a year, but this time the trip was nothing like they had hoped. She branded their experience "the holiday from hell" and said her son nearly lost his life.
"Food poisoning nearly killed my son on holiday," she said in a video posted to TikTok. Ashley said the group's first day at their unnamed hotel was spent "getting their bearings" and splashing around in the pool.
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"The kids had a great day," she added. On the second day, the family ate a buffet breakfast before she and Jamie went on a date outside hotel – the one time she said anyone from the group left before things took a turn for the worse.
When the couple got back, members of their family started to report feeling unwell. "It started with Jamie's mum [getting] food poisoning, then Jamie's dad," she said. Before long, the whole family was ill.
"I can't even explain to you how poorly my children were," she continued, adding that by the third day of their illness, her son, River, was unable to drink water without being sick. Ashley added that River became "lethargic and unresponsive," and the family had no choice but to take him to the hotel's on-site nurse – who ended up calling a doctor.
After examining the child, the doctor said he needed immediate treatment. Ashley said her son was put on an IV drip because he had become so dehydrated and developed an infection as a result of the illness.
At one point, Ashley claimed she was taken aside by a doctor. "He said words no parent wants to hear," she admitted. "He said that, 'Your son is seriously, seriously ill." She was told River would have to avoid the sun for at least three days, and that the infection could travel to his blood and cause potentially fatal sepsis.
While River was treated, Jamie and Ashley's daughter, Mila, also became unwell. She said her daughter was "half an hour short" of being in the same position as her son, but was treated in hospital and her illness did not become as severe.
Fortunately, River eventually began to recover and was able to stop taking medication two days before the family returned home. Ashley said they were able to have one full day in Turkey and one nights' sleep before heading home.
Speaking exclusively to BirminghamLive, she said: "We lost our full entire holiday. Which was a lot of money. But you can’t put a price on my children.
"I was nearly bringing [River] home in a body bag. My daughter wasn’t far off being in the same boat.I’m heartbroken and everything, as are my full family."
She is now trying to claim compensation from Jet2, who organised the trip, after claiming she "never got a holiday." "It was a nightmare experience," she added on TikTok. "I cannot explain the trauma, how traumatic it was for everybody.
"We work so hard to give our kids a holiday at least once a year to spend time together. The kids never get to see their dad because of the industry he's in, and that time means so much to us. Time is precious and it was ripped away from us."
A spokesperson for Jet2 said: “We are sorry to hear that Ms Bain’s family have been unwell. We can confirm that we were in contact with Ms Bain during her holiday, however no evidence has been provided to support the claim that any illness was caused by consuming food at the hotel.
"We have not received any correspondence from Ms Bain since she returned from holiday, and we would be happy to investigate further should she contact us with evidence."
