‘Want him home alive’: Mum’s $120,000 plea to bring son back to Australia

The mother of a man who is fighting for life in a Thailand hospital after a horror car crash has made a heartfelt plea.

A heartbroken Aussie mum has issued a passionate plea to help bring her critically ill son home from Thailand.

Perth man James Lothian has been fighting for his life in Chonburi, a city south east of Bangkok, after being involved in a horrific car crash earlier this year.

The 41-year-old sustained extensive injuries to his liver and small intestines during a collision and has required multiple surgeries to stay alive, but unfortunately has since contracted septicaemia.

His family want to medevac him back to Australia before it is too late, however this will cost them more than $120,000.

Without this, however, they fear Mr Lothian may never make it back home.

James has lost 40kg since being in hospital. Picture: GoFundMe

His mother, Theresa Matthews, said her son had been in “serious pain” since undergoing surgery for sepsis earlier this week.

“Last night, I could only speak to him only for a little while because he’s just in so much pain. They’re not like over here with the pain meds,” she told Yahoo.

“It’s been going on since March. I just want to get my son home. That’s all. Alive.”

Mr Lothian was on a break from his mining construction job and was visiting his wife and son when he was involved in the major car accident.

“After the accident, they’ve had to do surgery on his stomach, liver, and other things,” his sister Stacey Lothian said.

“They’ve cut out sections of his large intestine and reconnected it back up.

“That surgery wasn’t successful and his tissue died and he had to have another surgery but that also failed.”

Mr Lothian had lived in Western Australia up until two years ago, when he packed up and moved to Thailand. He has since got married and now has a son.

Unfortunately, there was a lapse in his travel insurance, which has left him with tens of thousands of dollars in hospital bills.

Stacy, left, with James and their mother in happier times. Picture: Supplied

He has lost 40kg since the accident and his family as desperate to get him home so he can properly recover.

His sister first shared her brother’s story on Facebook, where she pleaded for help with Australians in Thailand to donate O-negative blood due to a serious shortage.

This blood type is rare, with only one-in-10 Australians having it, and even fewer Thais.

“If anyone is travelling there that is O-negative, please donate,” she told The West Australian.

“It’s a bit scary how many Aussies are going over there for holidays — the fact there’s no O-negative blood in Thailand is scary.

“I’ve been posting all over Thailand ex-pat pages, I’ve been posting stuff on military pages trying to get everyone to share.

“It’s made me cry how many people have come forward to help but it’s such a rare blood type.”

He has been in hospital for months. Picture: GoFundMe

The young father’s son and wife are in Thailand. Picture: GoFundMe

The family were touched after several expats went to extraordinary lengths to give blood.

“We had one lady get in a taxi and travel two hours to donate,” Stacey said.

“It’s been a pretty hard situation, but I was quite proud that Aussies were rocking up to help another Aussie.

“We were really lucky. We got six pints from Australian tourists and people living there which was more than we needed.

So then donated that blood to a young baby and two other men at a hospital in Phuket.”

It’s thought around 800,000 Australians visit Thailand every year meaning as many as 80,000 people passing through Bangkok annually could be a blood type match for James.

His family has launched a GoFundMe to raise money for spiralling medical bills and a medevac back to Australia.

The fundraiser has brought in nearly $11,000 out of a $150,000 goal as of Sunday.