An Exeter mum suffering from a rare combination of two terminal illnesses will return to England after making a "heartbreaking decision" to leave Thailand where she was to receive 'pioneering medical treatment'.
Jo, who is mum to three-year-old Rudey, and lives in Broadhembury, near Honiton, suffers from Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) and lymphatic cancer sufferer
She is believed to be the only person in the world to suffer from both conditions and cannot undergo treatment for the cancer because of the risk to her heart and lungs which have been weakened due to the PH. She also cannot be put on a waiting list for a heart and lung transplant, because of the cancer.
The Breathe for Jo campaign to raise £30,000 in 30 days was launched in the Echo on April 10, and 15 days later readers and other well-wishers smashed the ambitious target a fortnight ahead of schedule.
It is the generosity and compassion of people who reacted to Jo's story which has made the former Exeter College student's journey to the Far East possible.
But The Breathe for Jo community has now announced that the former Exeter college student will return to England after fears over her treatment in Thailand.
Posting on Facebook they announced that Jo will not complete her treatment abroad adding that the money raised will now be put to use on "better treatment elsewhere".
The full post states:
"This is an announcement we were never expecting to have to make. It is with great sadness & disappointment that Jo has made the extremely difficult decision not to continue her treatment with the Better Being Hospital in Thailand.
"It became clear very quickly that Jo was not going to receive the care necessary to cure either of her conditions.
"The organisation and communication within the hospital is extremely poor, during our time in Bangkok the hospital failed to find Jo & I adequate accommodation.
"They also failed to provide her with the promised meals which were a fundamental part of her treatment plan.
"Despite paying the hospital a deposit of £15,000 they did not in any way provide us with any evidence to suggest that Jo was in good hands, from putting her in a damp and squalid hotel room to not having any form of treatment plan in place other than acupuncture.
"The air in Bangkok is severely polluted and has been making Jo's breathing considerably worse. However we are now out of the city where the quality of air is far better.
"We are currently waiting for a full refund as promised from the hospital and will be returning home to our families as soon as the money is back in Jo's account, so that she may seek treatment elsewhere."
It adds that there is good news in that fact that others have come forward offering strong evidence for other treatments to help Jo in the UK.
Going on to say: "We have had a really tough time here in Thailand, we are confident we have made the right decision and that the money raised for Jo will be far better spent on treatment elsewhere, Jo is still in good spirits, there are still options out there and we are still very positive we can cure her."
"The hospital have acknowledged the poor patient care Jo has received and have apologised sincerely calling our experience "An absolute nightmare." We will be home as soon as possible, see you all soon, thank you all for your continued support."
