Dad of Brit, 20, who died after Turkey weight loss op has one heartbreaking wish

23 January 2024 , 17:16

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Morgan Ribeiro, 20, died after a £2,500 gastric sleeve operation in Turkey

The heartbroken dad of a young woman who died after surgery in Turkey has slammed the botched procedure and pleaded with others to never travel for operations.

Richard Ribeiro, 44, told the Mirror how his daughter Morgan, 20, had researched the most reliable place to head for her gastric band procedure. He said Morgan, who had struggled with her weight for a long time, had used trust fund money from her parents, released to her aged 18, for the £2,500 op in Istanbul.

“We want to make sure something like this doesn’t ever happen again,” he said. "That no more children are taken away from their families because of these ridiculous surgeries, where they do not operate properly and do not follow proper procedures. I don’t want any other families to ever suffer like this.”

Morgan as a young girl, pictured with her siblings

Morgan had paid the money to a company in Switzerland, her mum Erin Gibson, 44, said. After being given the green light to return home from surgery three days after the January 5 operation, she fell seriously ill during the flight back to Gatwick. The plane made an emergency stop in Belgrade, Serbia, where she died on January 13. Hospital medics in Serbia told her boyfriend Jamie Brewster, 19, that his girlfriend was going into septic shock.

Doctors had to operate on Morgan after discovering her small intestine had been cut during the gastric sleeve procedure, which led to an infection. The family says surgeons removed 10cm of her small intestine and were hopeful she would pull through.

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Morgan's family said they 'want to make sure something like this doesn’t ever happen again'

The plane made an emergency stop in Belgrade, Serbia, where she died on January 13

Erin said Serbian doctors told her it was the third time a plane carrying a British cosmetic surgery patient has had to make an emergency landing in Belgrade because of medical complications. "The Serbian prosecutor’s office and the British authorities have launched investigations into Morgan’s death,” she added.

Dad Richard, who is separated from Erin, said Morgan had researched the best place for the surgery. “She did her due diligence, she checked the success rate of the operations and the reviews, how long the healing process was,” he said. "She weighed her options up and decided the hospital she chose had a better reputation.

“She contacted me while she was out there, after she had the operation, said it had gone OK and that she was starting the healing process, but that she was sore. Morgan was cleared to fly but they had perforated her small intestine. It’s just heartbreaking.”

The last Richard, from south London, heard from his daughter was a WhatsApp voice note she sent him before she boarded the Wizz Air flight back to Gatwick. “That was the last time I heard her voice,” he said. “I haven’t been able to listen to it again.

“She had done a lot of growing up, she was a lovely, mature girl. She was doing what she wanted to do - working as an assistant for children with special needs. She cared about people. Now it’s about holding the surgery and the surgeon to account after what has happened to Morgan and the many others who travel for operations.”

Matthew Young