# Family’s desperate bid to bring tragic teen’s body back from Benidorm



## Matt Cycle (Oct 14, 2018)

The tragic death of an Edinburgh teen in Benidorm has sparked a plea for help from the family to raise cash to bring his body home Billy Black, 18, was enjoying a holiday in Spain with his dad Ian Black when his young life came to an end on Monday. 

The popular teenager had Type 1 diabetes and his grief-stricken family said he “didn’t look after his body like he should have”. Sister Kirsty explained that Billy had to take daily insulin injections but it was possible that while he was on holiday that he might not have been doing so regularly. The death of the St Augustine’s High School pupil has left a huge gap in the family and Kirsty, sister Ashleigh and mum Mandy Wyper have now travelled to Benidorm in the hope they can bring Billy home.

https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman....agic-teen-s-body-back-from-benidorm-1-4813324

 Another tragic reminder of the potentially devastating effects of not managing your T1 diabetes.


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## Hepato-pancreato (Oct 14, 2018)

Very sad that he has passed away. But if he was so loved and cared for by many, why didn’t he be encouraged or cajoled into looking after his diabetes. All this grief and sorrow could’ve been avoided if his family knew he didn’t take care of his T1 diabetes. I’m sorry if this sounds harsh. But the effort being used to repatriate his body would’ve been better employed while he was alive to take care of himself. Such a sad tragic waste of  a young life, so easily coud’ve Been avoided.
I’m sorry if people don’t like what I say but the truth hurts sometimes......R.I.P


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## Northerner (Oct 14, 2018)

Hepato-pancreato said:


> if he was so loved and cared for by many, why didn’t he be encouraged or cajoled into looking after his diabetes.


If there was a simple answer to that question then it probably wouldn't happen, or at least not as frequently  

Very sad


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## KARNAK (Oct 14, 2018)

Hepato-pancreato said:


> All this grief and sorrow could’ve been avoided if his family knew he didn’t take care of his T1 diabetes.



I`d wager they did know but did not know the ultimate consequence of his actions. Parents need to understand more than the child, I would also wager father was as excited as much as his son in Benidorm, so wine women and song comes to mind, to hell with the insulin!!!


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## Flower (Oct 14, 2018)

Desperately sad to read.  

It is such a difficult time to negotiate growing up with T1 ,becoming an adult, trying new things. You can only encourage someone to take care of themselves and as an 18 year old he was an adult . You can't make someone take care of their diabetes, it is 99.9% self managed regardless of the love and support from others. It seems such a vulnerable age group for dealing with diabetes , I really hope clinics have plans for young adults and look out for them- and that's only possible if the young adults engage with the diabetes clinic. 

Desperate end to something that should have been such fun.


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## KARNAK (Oct 14, 2018)

Nice but sad thoughts Flower.


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## Amigo (Oct 14, 2018)

Such a tragedy but I’m wondering why the family didn’t have travel insurance which would have covered repatriation?


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## KARNAK (Oct 14, 2018)

Amigo said:


> Such a tragedy but I’m wondering why the family didn’t have travel insurance which would have covered repatriation?



Very good point.


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## grovesy (Oct 15, 2018)

Amigo said:


> Such a tragedy but I’m wondering why the family didn’t have travel insurance which would have covered repatriation?


I have seen travel programmes that have covered these insurance problems and people don't realise how expensive it is.


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## Amigo (Oct 15, 2018)

grovesy said:


> I have seen travel programmes that have covered these insurance problems and people don't realise how expensive it is.



Absolutely essential though grovesy as this poor lad’s family have discovered. You’re right, people take risks and medical repatriation can run into many tens of thousands. 

The family don’t need this worry on top of their loss


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## mikeyB (Oct 15, 2018)

The insurance companies will likely not pay out for a pre existing condition. My guess is they didn’t declare it. But even if they did, they’ll wheedle out of it.


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## Amigo (Oct 15, 2018)

mikeyB said:


> The insurance companies will likely not pay out for a pre existing condition. My guess is they didn’t declare it. But even if they did, they’ll wheedle out of it.



Reason why you need to declare every detail to them Mike. Arranging my travel insurance this time nearly took as long as the flight! The insurance companies are crafty burgers but it would be crazy not to declare type 1 diabetes.


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## Northerner (Oct 15, 2018)

As some may know, I was due to run the Stockholm Marathon the week I was diagnosed. I always take out travel insurance, mainly in case my bags get lost etc., but in that particular case I was able to get most of my money back (after a bit of wrangling ) for the flight and cancelled hotel. On my previous trip to Stockholm I broke my femur so had to return on a later flight than intended, which the insurance company arranged, including chauffeur from the hospital to the airport and special taxi from Heathrow to Southampton - all for about £20 back then.

It's only a few pounds for someone so young, so always worth it.


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## Amigo (Oct 15, 2018)

Northerner said:


> As some may know, I was due to run the Stockholm Marathon the week I was diagnosed. I always take out travel insurance, mainly in case my bags get lost etc., but in that particular case I was able to get most of my money back (after a bit of wrangling ) for the flight and cancelled hotel. On my previous trip to Stockholm I broke my femur so had to return on a later flight than intended, which the insurance company arranged, including chauffeur from the hospital to the airport and special taxi from Heathrow to Southampton - all for about £20 back then.
> 
> It's only a few pounds for someone so young, so always worth it.



Absolutely agree northerner. I was once in hospital with a young lad who didn’t have travel insurance, was becoming increasingly unwell so boarded a flight home from Tenerife with an appendix which was about to rupture. He was stretchered off the plane as it touched down in the U.K.


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## Robin (Oct 15, 2018)

I think sometimes people travelling to Europe assume that their EHIC cards will cover them for medical treatment, forgetting about the possible need for repatriation (alive or otherwise).


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## eggyg (Oct 15, 2018)

So so sad, but like @Amigo says why on Earth didn’t they have travel insurance. A week in Spain even with insulin dependent diabetes, has cost me £10. I don’t and have never had any hospital admissions or have any complications. I worked in travel for many years and the number of people who said it didn’t matter about insurance but I have heard some terrible tales. When we went to Lanzarote in March this year, Mr Eggy’s insurance cost a third of the holiday price, and the holiday wasn’t cheap, but there was no way we wouldnt have declared all his heart attacks and the fact he was waiting for an op. His poor family, what a waste of a young life.


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## Sally71 (Oct 15, 2018)

My hubby had a paragliding accident in Italy about 15 years ago, and damaged a bone in his back.  Luckily he had had the sense to take out insurance that covered extreme sports, because he had to spend 5 days in a hospital in Italy and was then flown home and spent another 5 days in a hospital near here.  A nurse had to be flown out to accompany him home, and then they took up 10 seats on the return flight because he was in a stretcher strapped across 3 rows of 3, plus a seat for the nurse.  I dread to think what would have happened without that insurance policy


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## Flower (Oct 15, 2018)

We don't know the past medical history of the young man in terms of getting travel insurance or otherwise.  I've not been able to get cover for all my diabetes related complications for years so have giving up trying to leave the country- I can get travel insurance but it exempts my legs/eyes etc which are the most likely things to cause me trouble so it leaves parts of me not covered. Way too risky and expensive should anything go amiss.


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## mikeyB (Oct 15, 2018)

Sally71 said:


> My hubby had a paragliding accident in Italy about 15 years ago, and damaged a bone in his back.  Luckily he had had the sense to take out insurance that covered extreme sports, because he had to spend 5 days in a hospital in Italy and was then flown home and spent another 5 days in a hospital near here.  A nurse had to be flown out to accompany him home, and then they took up 10 seats on the return flight because he was in a stretcher strapped across 3 rows of 3, plus a seat for the nurse.  I dread to think what would have happened without that insurance policy


Your hubby seems to have spent  his time jumping out of aeroplanes or doing other dangerous things in the air. I hope he’s grown out of it.

Or you’ve got whopping life insurance on him...


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## Sally71 (Oct 17, 2018)

mikeyB said:


> Your hubby seems to have spent  his time jumping out of aeroplanes or doing other dangerous things in the air. I hope he’s grown out of it.
> 
> Or you’ve got whopping life insurance on him...


Not jumping out of aeroplanes, he likes the glider to be above his head before he leaves the ground!  Doesn't stop him from crashing back down again occasionally though 
So far he's only had two accidents, and I hope it stays that way, no sign of him getting bored with it yet though


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## missclb (Oct 17, 2018)

My home town and a shared surname. 

So so sad, especially when you think it could/should have been avoided. 

But, there is only so much you can do for someone. His poor father will have to live with this for the rest of his life.


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