- The family has created a GoFundMe to ‘give him the farewell he deserves’
A young kickboxer tragically died while on holiday after the plane journey aggravated a brain injury he didn’t know he had.
Ryan Donald, 22, went to bed on the first night of a holiday with friends in Cyprus and never woke up.
An autopsy revealed that the father-of-one had in fact been suffering from a blood clot on the brain, which his heartbroken family said would have been a kickboxing injury.
The head injury was aggravated by the altitude of the flight and is understood to have been the “last last straw”.
Mr Donald, of Portsmouth, Hants, was the father of a four-month-old baby boy.
Ryan Donald Tragically Didn’t Wake Up After Suffering Brain Injury Aggravated From Flying
He was passionate about kickboxing and something he hoped to pursue as a career: whether competing or training children.
His sister, Georgia Donald, 24, believes he suffered an injury during a training session or during one of his fights, and doctors in England were left confused as to why he showed no signs of his injury.
She said: ‘He was a role model and never quit.
“The doctors in England said they don’t understand how he showed no signs of the injury, he should have been in immense pain and he wasn’t, he just kept fighting.”
‘He was complaining about little headaches, or what we thought were little headaches, but he just got over it.
‘He wasn’t a complainer.
“He was very motivating and had a lot ahead of him.”
His death has left a void in the lives of his family, especially his girlfriend Carmen and his son Leyton.
Mrs. Donald created a GoFundMe to raise money to bring his body home since 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.
Mrs Donald said: ‘I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who donated. It really showed us the impact Ryan had and how much he was loved. It has taken a lot of pressure off my parents (Clive and Cordelia).
‘My father has heart problems, so it took a big weight off his shoulders and maybe prevented something from happening to him. “The people who donated have saved us.”
Money raised on GoFundMe will now also be used to help cover funeral expenses.
Paying tribute to her younger brother, Mrs Donald said: “He was an inspiration, I know everyone says that, but he really was.”
‘He was the youngest of five brothers, but he was the one we all admired.
‘My son saw him as a brother since he practically lived with Ryan his entire life.
‘There are no words to describe how wonderful he was, everyone knew him and everyone loved him.
His sister believes Ryan (right) suffered an injury during a training session or during one of his fights.
‘You can see that through all the donations and all 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.
“He was literally a bright spot in our lives.”
A further autopsy is expected to be carried out when Ryan’s body returns to the UK.