STRICKEN judo star Stephanie Inglis has been flown to a hospital in Bangkok after developing pneumonia while still in a coma.
The Commonwealth Games silver medallist, 27, has been fighting for her life since a freak motorbike accident in Vietnam earlier this month which left her with critical head injuries.
However, the decision was taken to transfer the Scottish sportswoman from a hospital in Hanoi to Thailand where she could be cared for in a hospital better equipped to deal with her lung infection and coma.
Read more: Judo star given 50-50 chance of survival after motorcycle crash
Family friend and fellow judo player, Khalid Gehlan, said efforts to fly Ms Inglis to Thailand were initially delayed by technical problems affecting two aircraft and a tropical storm, but he confirmed this morning that Ms Inglis had finally been put on a flight and was en route to Bangkok.
Posting on Facebook, Mr Gehlan said: "We are all excited and relieved to be able to get her to this point, I will update everyone later as soon as I know she is safe and settled in her new home and another step closer to recovering."
Ms Inglis, from Inverness, has been in a coma since the accident on Tuesday May 10, when she was thrown from a motorbike while being taxied to a school in Ha Long, Vietnam. Her dress had reportedly caught in the bike's back wheel.
Read more: Commonwealth athlete Stephanie Inglis in coma after motorcycle accident in Vietnam
Ms Inglis had been in the country for the past four months teaching English to underprivileged children.
Her sister, Stacey, said she had suffered "a lot of bleeding to the brain and swelling" and doctors initially gave the athlete only a one per cent chance of survival, advising her parents "more than once" to turn off her life support.
A gofundme campaign was launched to raise funds to pay for Stephanie’s medical care after her travel insurance became defunct. The campaign has now raised almost £235,000, but Stephanie’s family, friends and now politicians are urging the public to keep donating.
Members of the Scottish National Party, including First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, have pledged their support to the campaign to raise funds to towards her care and help pay for her return to Scotland.
Mr Gehlan, who set up the gofundme page to raise both awareness of the situation and funds to help cover the medical costs, said: “The efforts of the public, from Stephanie’s friends and family, to people who have never met her, have been so generous and we are incredibly grateful for this support and the help of the SNP to raise awareness of Stephanie’s terrible situation.
Read more: Parents of Scots Judo star Stephanie Inglis 'overwhelmed' as donations reach £150,000
"However, we must keep raising money to enable Steph to continue receiving life-saving treatment in Vietnam. Although the money raised is significant, it still does not meet the care costs that are expected and people’s continued generosity and support could make the difference between life and death.
"The cost of her transport alone is upward of £100,000 plus medical support and the daily medical costs are over £2,000, so we need to keep raising money to help save her life.
“I really urge people to get behind the #SaveSteph campaign, donate and if possible fundraise. We’d like to thank everyone for their support so far, without this it would be very difficult to bring Steph home.”
Mr Gehlan said doctors now gave Ms Inglis a 5-50 chance of survival.
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