DJ, 29, can’t walk or talk after being struck down by a brain tumour

DJ, 29, can’t walk or talk after being struck down by a deadly brain tumour and risks being stranded in Thailand as he faces a ‘£100,000 bill for a medically-assisted flight to the UK’

  • George Gannon has a frontal lobe malignant tumour on the left side of his brain 
  • The DJ and social media consultant has had a major initial operation in Thailand
  • He does not have medical insurance and had to pay £3,500 for the surgery
  • Still in hospital, further treatment is costing Mr Gannon at least £600 a day 
  • He will then have to spend £100,000 on a ‘medically-assisted flight’ to the UK
  • To manage his tumour, Mr Gannon is required to also receive NHS treatment  

A Brit who woke up unable to move or speak due to a life-threatening brain tumour risks being stranded in Thailand after being slapped with a medical bill for hundreds of thousands of pounds.

George Gannon, 29, was diagnosed with a frontal lobe malignant tumour on the left side of his brain earlier this month after complaining of headaches for weeks and losing all coordination at his home in Koh Phangang.

The DJ and social media consultant, who has lived in Thailand since 2014, has already paid £3,500 for a major operation to remove the tumour at a hospital in Koh Samui after being transported there via ambulance boat.

But Mr Gannon, who does not have medical insurance and is still a British citizen, is wracking up hospital bills of at least £600 a day while he continues to be treated.

Mr Gannon, who is currently unfit to fly, will then have to fork out up to £100,000 on a ‘medically-assisted flight’ back to the UK where he will receive further treatment, thought to be radiotherapy, on the NHS to tackle the tumour.

DJ George Gannon woke up unable to move or speak due to a life-threatening brain tumour. Mr Gannon (pictured before he became unwell) now risks being stranded in Thailand after being slapped with a medical bill for hundreds of thousands of pounds in order to fly to the UK

Mr Gannon, who has lived in Thailand since 2014, has already paid £3,500 for surgery on his tumour at a local hospital in Koh Samui (pictured after with his mother Sarah Everson and brother Freddie Chester). He requires NHS therapy to continue to manage his disease

Mr Gannon’s family discovered he had lost co-ordination of his entire body when his girlfriend Natalie Hobbs (pictured before he became unwell) sent panicked messages back home

Mr Gannon’s mother, Sarah Evison, 53, has been been kept up-to-date on her son’s health via near-constant contact with his girlfriend Natalie Hobbs. 

Speaking of hearing the new, Ms Evison, who flew out to be with her son for his initial surgery, said: ‘It’s been absolutely terrifying.

‘I was in bed and noticed I had several missed messages. It wasn’t until I’d come downstairs that I saw it was Natalie saying he’d been taken very poorly.


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‘I broke down. Your maternal instinct kicks in and I didn’t know which way to turn. I was like a rabbit in the headlights.

‘I had no idea what to do or who to call.’

Doctors believe Mr Gannon’s tumour could be a reoccurrence of a skin cancer he battled in 2013 before moving to Thailand. 

Ms Hobbs (pictured before) is in near-constant contact with his family back in the UK

Mr Gannon (pictured before he became unwell), who does not have medical insurance, is being forced to pay medical bills of at least £600 a day for treatment in a hospital in Thailand. His family have been quoted a bill of £100,000 for a ‘medically-assisted flight’ back to the UK

Several hours after receiving the messages, Ms Evison was finally able to get in touch with Ms Hobbs.

She then heard the devastating news that Mr Gannon had suffered a massive loss of coordination over his entire body. 

The family are now facing a bill of potentially hundreds of thousands of pounds due to Mr Ganon not having health insurance.

His sister Grace, 25, said: ‘The operation cost £3,500 but further treatment goes day-by-day.

‘We’ve been told flights though could £100,000. It’s been very, very stressful.

‘We just want him back here but we know it’s not feasible at the moment so we’re trying to get as much sorted out as we can.

‘The doctors have told us the best-case scenario that he could be home in three weeks, but we don’t know.’

As well as not being able to afford it, doctors say Mr Gannon (pictured before) is unfit to fly

Ms Evison (pictured before) has described the ordeal as ‘terrifying’ and has left her ‘unsure where to turn’. She is determined for her son to come home for treatment with ‘familiarity’

She added: ‘He’s amazing, he’d do anything for anybody at any time. He just wants to help and give back to people.’

Despite the cost, Mr Gannon’s family are determined to get him back to the UK. 

‘I just want to go and get him home and have him surrounded by familiarity,’ Ms Evison said.

‘He’s aware that he’ll have to come back to the UK for medical treatment.

‘We’re currently trying to find hospitals near to home that’ll take him.’

Although the ordeal has been traumatic, Ms Evison and the rest of her family have been overwhelmed by the support they have received from Mr Gannon’s friends both in Thailand and the UK.

‘It’s been overwhelming, gobsmacking, heart melting and really humbling,’ she said.

‘We’re very lucky. We’ve had donations and messages from across the world.

‘People are holding raffles and bucket collections over in Koh Phangang.

‘We’re not alone in this and it goes to show how much love George and Natalie have.’ 

Donate towards Mr Gannon’s flight home here.

WHAT IS A BRAIN TUMOUR 

A brain tumour is a growth of cells that multiples in an abnormal, uncontrollable way.

They are more common in adults, but children are occasionally affected.

More than 9,000 people are diagnosed with brain tumours each year in the UK.

Tumours can be cancerous or not, with cancerous tumours generally growing faster and spreading.

Common symptoms include seizures, vomiting, drowsiness, personality changes, and severe, persistent headaches.

Their cause is unknown, however, previous cancer sufferers and those exposed to radiation are more at risk.

Treatment varies but can include steroids, surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

What are the warning signs?

· Persistent or recurring vomiting

· Persistent or recurring headaches

· Balance / co-ordination problems / walking problems

· Blurred or double vision

· Poor balance and co-ordination

· Abnormal eye movements

· Abnormal head position

· Fits or seizures

· Behavioural changes, especially tiredness

· Increasing head circumference in babies

Source: NHS Choices

Ms Evison (pictured before) claims her protective ‘mother’s instincts have kicked in’

His sister Grace (pictured with her brother on her Graduation day) said the whole ordeal has been ‘very, very stressful’. ‘He’s amazing, he’d do anything for anybody at any time,’ she added

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