30 January 2024 , 13:26
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The mum of a 20-year-old woman who died after flying to Turkey for weight-loss surgery has said she was "taken in like a lamb led to the slaughter" after seeing the clinic's social media adverts.
Morgan Ribeiro became seriously ill on a flight back to London Gatwick earlier this month after visiting Turkey for a £2,500 weight loss procedure. The plane back to the UK made an emergency landing in Serbia, and she died in a hospital in Belgrade. Doctors told her boyfriend that her small intestine had been cut during the operation, leading to an infection and septic shock.
The Mirror tracked down Dr Serkan Bayil, who performed the op and speaking at the Medivita hospital in Istanbul, he denied botching the procedure, saying she suffered an embolism. Morgan's family said they did not know about her planned operation until just days before she was due to fly out and had told her of their concerns for her safety.
Her family is now calling for tighter regulation of the industry that is seeing more and more young women flying abroad for surgery. Mum Erin Gibson, 44, wants social media adverts for operations to come with details about the risks involved including deaths and injuries. She is also calling for cosmetic insurance to become compulsory. Erin told the Mirror: “I would love for there to be a Morgan’s Law to come from this so it doesn’t happen to anybody else. Cosmetic tourism must stop.”
Morgan wanted to lose weight
Mum Erin wants better regulation (Nick Edwards)Erin told Mail Online that Morgan believed the clinic was in Switzerland and had received loads of awards, which is why she plumped for them. She said: "Morgan thought they had the best reputation, and that she was doing the right thing. It was only when she paid her third and final payment, that she realised she was going to Turkey. By then, she felt committed, so she just rolled with it.
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"She was just a 20-year-old who was blinkered, young and naive. She saw their marketing on TikTok and other channels which makes no mention of the dangers. It is harrowing. It is a marketing lie. It is disgraceful that they can do this. When you click on their website, they only talk about their success stories. They don't talk about the risks of things going wrong. She got force fed a dream. She was taken in like a lamb led to the slaughter."
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.”
Both the hospital and TikTok have been approached for comment.