The family of a man who died while celebrating his wedding anniversary on holiday have described their devastation after they were 'not allowed' to be by his side as he took his last breaths. Daniel Bowman had flown out to Bulgaria with his wife Kelly to mark their third wedding anniversary at the start of September.
However, the trip took a tragic turn when the 32-year-old was left in a coma after complaining of stomach pains. Daniel, who was originally from Doncaster but moved to Leeds to live with Kelly, started vomiting blood and was rushed to Bulgarian hospital.
Doctors found he was suffering from sepsis and put him in an induced coma, as his vital organs were beginning to shut down, Manchester Evening News reports. Daniel was taken into surgery, however during the procedure his pancreas failed, causing further complications as it leaked into his blood stream.
After being treated, "things started looking up", his aunt, Sam Bowman said, and his family planned to help Daniel get back to the UK to continue his recovery. However, after losing 30 litres of blood from an internal bleed, Daniel died on Friday morning (September 16) alone in a hospital bed in Bulgaria at 1am. His family said they were not told about his death until seven hours later at 8am.
"It's just awful", Sam said. "He spent 10 days in intensive care from him to die on his own without his wife." Sam said nor she, Daniel's mum, or his wife Kelly were able to be by his side.
On Thursday (September 15) the family were told to say their goodbyes but weren't able to stay with him over night. "When Kelly went to see him after he'd died she said they hadn't even cleaned his face. He had equipment marks on his face and his wife had to clean him up", Sam added.
"You hear about those crazy stories in magazines that are a nightmare, and now we're living it. You never think it'll happen to you."
The day before Daniel died, on September 15, he was due to fly back to the UK. His auntie Sam said Daniel had medical insurance, but they weren't sure if the company would pay out for him to fly home.
The insurance company kept asking the family for more information, they said, and Sam added it was a "nightmare" to get all the money together.
At the time, insurance company Admiral said: "We appreciate this is a concerning time for Mr Bowman and his family and can assure them we are treating it as a matter of urgency. We have been in regular contact with our medical emergency provider who have been liaising with the medical facility in Bulgaria and Mr Bowman’s wife.
"We have requested the required information from Mr Bowman’s GP and continue to chase this. We cannot comment further at this stage."
Kelly, who works as a mental health nurse, and his aunt Sam have been left in debt after paying "ridiculous" medical bills. Kelly and Daniel's mum Michelle had to pay for extra accommodation, taxis to the hospital each day. The hospital rules state they’re were only allowed to visit him one hour every day and they had to pay £80 in taxi fares each day to go and visit him.
The family managed to put together over £10,000 from a fundraiser and their own money for the flight. For when he arrived home, Daniel had a bed ready for him at Doncaster Royal Infirmary and the family were told it would take just 30 minutes to get him from the hospital in Bulgaria to the private plane.
Sam said: "After three hours we were told the organisers had lost the flight spot. They later called back and said they had a spot. When Daniel got to the plane, the doctor on the plane said it was not safe for him to fly, despite what the consultants at the hospital had told us.
"We soon after found out that Daniel had an internal bleed the night before, but nor us or the airline were informed. We also found out when he was on the way to the flight he was still bleeding.
"He lost 30 litres of blood and died. It is awful. On their anniversary Kelly went to see him - she was holding his hands and singing him songs but she was told to leave after an hour. She told the hospital it was their anniversary, and asked if she could stay. They said no."
The family are seeking legal advise for medical negligence and say they "want justice" for their lost loved one. Sam said her goal now is to make sure Daniel's legacy lives on and people continue to talk about him.
Speaking about her nephew Daniel, who she said was "my rock", Sam said: "Daniel was a kind and generous person. He would give anything to everybody. He was really funny, and would make everyone laugh. He'd make us laugh when he exaggerated in stories.
"He worshipped his wife and she was the making of him. When he was younger he was a bit of a party-goer but she made him who he was. Daniel always said I was like his second mum. I wasn't lucky enough to have kids but he was like a son to me."
Daniel's body is still in Bulgaria and the family are continue to fundraise so they can pay for him to come home. The family are also raising money for the funeral and need help with their debts after paying for Daniel's medical care in Bulgaria. To support the crowdfund for the Bowman family, you can donate cash on the Go Fund Me page here.
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