Grieving mum 'never would've let' daughter have fatal Turkey weight loss surgery

23 January 2024 , 16:31

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Morgan Ribeiro was willing to spend the cash for the operation in Turkey

The mum of a woman who died of weight loss surgery would "never would have let" her daughter have it but only found out the day of her flight.

Morgan Ribeiro travelled to Turkey to have gastric band fitted after being bullied about her weight for years, But she died in a Serbian hospital after a flight to the UK had to land in Belgrade when she became seriously Ill. Her devastated mother Erin Gibson, however, insisted she should not have had the operation and the companies carrying out such operations needed to be stopped.

Mrs Gibson, a mother-of-five, added: "She was a beautiful girl, both inside and out. She booked this surgery without my knowledge. I would never had had let her go ahead with it if I had known."

Morgan's mum Erin Gibson would not have allowed her to travel

The 20-year-old had been bullied because of her weight

Erin became estranged from her 'head-strong' daughter just before the the operation in January this year. She said: "She was interested in the bargain price. The clinic only highlights the successes, not the failures. If I had had known I would have shown her risks. I only found out she was having the operation on the day she flew out and by then it was too late."

She paid tribute to the Serbian doctors and authorities, but revealed it was the third time a British patient who had a cosmetic procedure had needed to make an emergency landing in Belgrade because of medical complications.

Baby boy has spent his life in hospital as doctors are 'scared' to discharge him

Surgeons removed over 10cm of Morgan's small intestine but the 20-year-old had a heart attack on January 9 and was put in in an induced coma before she died four days later in Belgrade.

Her mum Erin Gibson, 44, says she had no idea Morgan had booked surgery in Turkey

Erin told The Mirror: “By the time I found out it was too late, she was already on the plane. I had that sinking feeling because I’d heard horror stories about Turkey. She’s always been a bigger girl and had a really rough time with it. I told her she was beautiful inside and out – she really was a beautiful girl. She was an artist, outgoing, silly, friendly and loving. I don’t want her life to be in vain.”

Morgan was willing to make the flight abroad for the operation

Her boyfriend said she had been researching the procedure before she booked it

The young woman travelled from her home in South London with her boyfiend Jamie,19, for the £2,500 procedure, and did not want o spend years on an NHS waiting list. It was the doctors in Serbia who told Jamie that Morgan’s small intestine had been cut. They removed 10cm of her small intestine and hoped she would pull through.

But on January 9, Morgan suffered a heart attack and died four days later at 4am. It was the first time she had ever travelled abroad. Gastric sleeve surgery involves removing part of the stomach to leave a sleeve, reducing appetite.

Graeme Murray