A young kickboxer has died on holiday after the flight abroad triggered an underlying brain injury. Ryan Donald, 22, tragically passed away in his sleep after he went to bed on the first night of a holiday to Cyprus with his friends.
An autopsy revealed the dad-of-one had been suffering from an unknown blood clot to his brain, which his heartbroken family said would likely have been caused by a kickboxing injury. His head injury worsened by the altitude of the flight and would have been the “last straw”, it is understood.
The Mirror reports that Ryan, from Portsmouth, was the father of a four-month-old boy. He was passionate about kickboxing and hoped to use his skills to help children.
His devastated sister, Georgia, 24, 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.”
A GoFundMe has since been set up to bring Ryan’s body home to the UK as he did not have travel insurance. In just a week, almost £10,000 has been raised with Ryan’s body due to arrive back in the country this week.
Georgia 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, Georgia 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 it. He was literally a brightness in our lives.”
A further autopsy is expected to take place when Ryan’s body returns to the UK.
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