Beloved dad dies on 'holiday of a lifetime' after falling ill on plane

20 January 2024 , 09:15

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Jeff Walker with his long-term partner, Donna Jones

A dad tragically passed away on his 'holiday of a lifetime' to Australia, just days before he was set to marry his long-term partner.

Jeff Walker was on the trip with his fiancee, Donna Jones and her 14 year old son Aaron when he suddenly fell ill. The couple had been engaged for six years and were planning to get married while visiting friends in Australia.

They started their journey from Manchester Airport on December 18, spending three days in Dubai before heading to Australia, but Jeff became unwell on the plane. Jeff collapsed near the plane toilets and was quickly taken to Royal Perth Hospital. Just five hours later, the 57-year-old was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML).

Donna revealed that Jeff had shown no signs or symptoms of leukaemia before the diagnosis. He felt tired while they were in Dubai, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Acute leukaemia is fast and aggressive, which means treatment usually needs to start immediately.

AML is a type of cancer that affects certain white blood cells. Symptoms can develop over a few weeks and include: looking pale, feeling tired or weak, breathlessness, frequent infections, unusual bruising or losing weight without trying.

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

Jeff Walker died while on a "holiday of a lifetime" with his long-term partner, Donna Jones and her 14-year-old son Aaron last month.

Donna, 50, said he was his usual "chatty" and "very happy" self in the days after being admitted to hospital. But after struggling with a CPAP machine, used to help patients breathe while they sleep, it was decided Jeff would be sedated and put on a ventilator. Sadly, this was the last time Jeff was conscious. He passed away in hospital on Christmas Day.

After his funeral on January 8, Donna had to deal with the logistics of flying home. Their original flights were booked for the day after the funeral, but Donna hoped to get these changed. Originally, she was told by Emirates that she'd have to take a complicated route from Perth to Sydney, then Singapore, Dubai and finally Manchester. This would cost her an extra £1,300, plus another £1,700 for Jeff's son Conner to use his dad's booking to fly from Australia to the UK. However, Donna has since been told she can fly home with Emirates and Jeff's ticket can be transferred.

As the family remain in Australia for now, tributes have been flooding in on social media for Jeff, who was well-known in the Blackpool and Poulton area. Updating Jeff's followers on LinkedIn, Donna wrote a post to explain the situation with her fiance, stating it was the "hardest status" she "will ever write."

Jeff Walker died while on a trip with his family

In response, Jeff's colleagues and friends filled the comments section with their memories of him and their condolences. Gary Collins wrote: "I didn't want to believe it when I heard the news and I still can't believe it now if I'm honest. I have known Jeff for all my working life and have been fortunate enough to work with him on some great projects along the journey. We had some good laughs along the way."

"What an incredible human being and general mister nice guy with a positive approach to life. I can't even imagine what you and all the family are going through but my deepest thoughts and best wishes are with you all. I'm so very sorry for your loss and rest easy big fella."

Mark Wall said: "No real words can express how shocked I am right now, Jeff was a kind and honest man it was a privileged to have known him. Such a true gent taken far to early, if I can do anything at all please let me know RIP dear friend." Scott Walker shared: "I'm speechless... what a tragic loss, you will be sorely missed Jeff. The amount of times you offered me assistance or advice over the years were countless, you were one of life's real good guys."

Blackpool's Voice expressed on Facebook : "I am devastated to announce the passing of my good friend Jeff Walker. He did a lot behind the scenes of Blackpool's Voice and helped those less fortunate. Donated items to BV to help those on the streets. He would help anyone and was always trying to do better for everyone. Our love goes out to his fiancee Donna and family."

Before heading to Australia, Jeff finished a 10k swim in one day to fundraise for cancer, inspired by his cousin's son who died from leukaemia 20 years ago. Zoe Louise Garrett remembered: "My double trouble Jeff RIP .. memories let's swim 10k ... ok says Jeff Walker, in a day i say .. it will be fun !!jeff ok !! always up for the challenge and so much fun xx you arran and donna a great friend to my daughters .. xx Love you millions Donna Jones we kicked ass in the pool Jeff xx we did 10k !!"

* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can report any errors to [email protected]

Georgia Diebelius