A young dad died during the first night of his holiday after the flight to the vacation hotspot worsened a brain injury he didn’t know he had.
Ryan Donald, 22, went to bed the first night of his stay in Cyprus with friends and didn’t wake up again.
An autopsy has revealed the father-of-one had in fact been suffering from a blood clot to the brain, which his heartbroken family say said would have been a kickboxing injury.
The head injury was worsened by the altitude of the flight and it would have been the ‘last straw’, it is understood.
Mr Donald, from Portsmouth, Hants, was the father of a four-month-old boy. He was passionate about kickboxing and something he hoped to pursue as a career – either competing or coaching children.
Mr Donald’s sister, Georgia Donald, 24, believes that he sustained an injury either during a training session or during one of his fights, and doctors in England were left confused why he didn’t show signs of his injury.
She said: “He was a role model and he never quit.
“The doctors in England said they don’t understand how he didn’t show signs of the injury, he should have been in immense pain and he wasn’t, he just kept fighting through it.
“He moaned about little headaches, or what we thought were little headaches, but he just powered through it. He wasn’t a complainer. He was so motivational and had so much ahead of him.”
His death has now left a hole in his family’s life, especially his girlfriend Carmen and their son Leyton. Ms Donald set up a GoFundMe to raise money to bring his body home as Mr Donald did not have insurance.
This has raised almost £10,000 [£9,922] in a week, and Mr Donald’s body is expected to arrive back in the country this week.
Ms Donald said: “I want to say a massive thank you to everyone that donated. It really showed us the impact that Ryan had and how much he was loved. It has taken a huge pressure off of my parents (Clive and Cordelia).
“My dad has heart problems as it is so that took a big weight off of his shoulders and maybe prevented something happening to him. The people that donated have saved us.”
The money raised from the GoFundMe will now also be used to help cover funeral costs.
Paying tribute to her younger brother, Ms Donald said: “He was inspirational, I know everyone says that, but he really was. He was the youngest of five siblings but he was the one we all looked up to.
“My son saw him like a brother as I practically lived with Ryan for all of his life. Words can’t quite describe how amazing he was, everyone knew him and everyone loved him.
“You can see that through all of the donations and all of the messages we have received. He left an impact on everyone’s lives.
“He could make you laugh and smile, even if you didn’t want to, he could annoy you into. He was literally a brightness in our lives.”
A further autopsy is expected to take place when Ryan’s body returns to the UK.