![\"Danielle](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/SEC_246526952-3427.jpg\")
\n\t\tDanielle endured a five-month hospital stay including intense rehabilitation before she was able to walk again (Picture: NCA NHS Trust\/MEN Media)<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tDanielle endured a five-month hospital stay including intense rehabilitation before she was able to walk again (Picture: NCA NHS Trust\/MEN Media)<\/p>\n
A woman was left paralysed from the neck down after weight loss surgery in Turkey<\/a>.<\/p>\n At 28 stone and unable to walk, Danielle Peebles desperately wanted to become fitter for her grandson who was about to be born.<\/p>\n The 42-year-old flew to Turkey in 2023 and paid \u00a32,995 for a gastric sleeve procedure after deciding she could not wait for the operation on the NHS.<\/p>\n But she began experiencing complications soon after returning to the UK.<\/p>\n The mum-of-five\u2019s condition progressively worsened, and she collapsed last year before being diagnosed with nutritional neuropathy, a rare and severe vitamin deficiency.<\/p>\n This sparked a five-month hospital stay at the Salford Royal Hospital in Greater Manchester, where she managed to walk again despite doctors fearing that she may be permanently paralysed.<\/p>\n Describing it as \u2018the worst time in [her] life\u2019, she said: \u2018I was paralysed from the neck down apart from the worst pain I\u2019ve ever felt in my feet that flared up at the slightest touch.\u2019<\/p>\n \t\t \t\t Danielle later learned about the extent of her nerve damage and the possibility of never walking again.<\/p>\n \u2018The surgical side of my procedure had all been fine. It was how my body dealt with it,\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n \u2018You don\u2019t hear that you can get nutritional neuropathy from not eating,\u2019 she pointed out. <\/p>\n \u2018You\u2019re not told about these side effects because they\u2019re so rare.\u2019<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tTurkish weight loss clinics’ rising popularity\t\t\t<\/p>\n An estimated 50,000 Brits travel to Turkey each year for weight loss surgery, a significant increase from around 10,000 five years ago, according to the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS). <\/p>\n The main appeal lies in cost with procedures up to 70% cheaper than in the UK.<\/p>\n For example, gastric sleeve surgeries generally cost around \u00a33,000 to \u00a35,000, compared to \u00a38,000 to \u00a312,000 in the UK.<\/p>\n However, there have been numerous reports of complications and concerns about the quality of care. <\/p>\n The Private Healthcare Information Network indicated that around 1,000 patients faced issues after undergoing treatment abroad, prompting many to seek legal advice.<\/p>\n Danielle\u2019s family, including her husband Stephen, faced immense distress as she spent months recovering in hospital.<\/p>\n \u2018We didn\u2019t know what was going to happen,\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n After five months, Danielle began to regain sensation in her limbs.<\/p>\n She praised the hospital staff, noting how physiotherapists, support workers, and dieticians helped her walk again.<\/p>\n \t\t \t\t She spoke highly of neurologist Dr Dan Whittam who \u2018went out of his way\u2019 to help her.<\/p>\n She was recently reunited with the medical team responsible for her life-changing care.<\/p>\n \u2018Thank you to \u2018Dr Dan\u2019 number one for getting me through everything and making me well and all the nurses on the unit and ward L1,\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n Reflecting on her progress, Dr Whittam said: \u2018To see her walking without even a crutch really exceeded my expectations and her determination has been inspiring.\u2019<\/p>\n Addressing her recovery, Danielle\u2019s husband Stephen said: \u2018Danielle has done amazingly, and I am so proud of her.<\/p>\n \u2018She is still in the early stages of her recovery, but she is determined to live as normal a life as possible.\u2019<\/p>\n Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk<\/a>.<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n For more stories like this, <\/strong>check our news page<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n Arrow Arrow![\"Danielle](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/SEI_246420611-6b49-e1743939212465.jpg\")
\n\t\tDanielle paid for the weight loss surgery in 2023 so she could be more active with her yet-to-be born grandson (Picture: MEN MEDIA)<\/p>\n![\"Danielle](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/SEI_246420614-f72b-e1743939237465.jpg\")
\n\t\tBefore the surgery, Danielle weighed 28 stone and was unable to walk (Picture: MEN MEDIA)<\/p>\n![\"Danielle](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/SEI_246420610-bb01-e1743939255112.jpg\")
\n\t\tDanielle was recently reunited with neurologist Dr Dan Whittam, who was part of the medical team that got her moving again (Picture: NCA NHS Trust\/MEN Media)<\/p>\n![\"Danielle](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/SEI_246420613-163d-e1743939270195.jpg\")
\n\t\tAs well as managing to walk again, Danielle has lost a substantial amount of weight (Picture: MEN MEDIA)<\/p>\n
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