A young kickboxer has tragically died while on holiday after a flight aggravated a brain injury he didn’t know he had.
Ryan Donald, 22, went to bed on the first night of a holiday with friends to Cyprus and never woke up.
A post-mortem examination revealed the father-of-one had indeed suffered a blood clot on his brain, which his devastated family say could have been a kickboxing injury.
The head injury was aggravated by the altitude of the flight and was said to have been the ‘final straw’.
Mr Donald, from Portsmouth, Hants, was the father of a four-month-old boy.
Ryan Donald tragically never woke up after suffering a brain injury aggravated by flying
He had a passion for kickboxing and something he hoped to pursue as a career: competing or coaching children.
His sister, Georgia Donald, 24, believes he suffered the injury during training or during one of his fights, and doctors in England were at a loss as to why he showed no signs of the injury.
She said: “He was a role model and he never stopped.
‘The doctors in England said they didn’t understand why he showed no signs of the injury, he should have been in immense pain and he wasn’t, he just kept fighting through it.
‘He complained of little headaches, or what we thought were little headaches, but he just got through it.
‘He wasn’t a complainer.
‘He was so motivating and had so much more to offer.’
His death has now left a hole in the lives of his family, especially his girlfriend Carmen and their son Leyton.
Mrs Donald has set up a GoFundMe to raise money to bring his body home, as Mr Donald had no insurance.
This has raised almost £10,000 (£9,922) in a week and Mr Donald’s body is expected to arrive back in the country this week.
Mrs Donald said: “I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who donated. It really showed us the impact Ryan had and how much he was loved. It has taken a huge amount of pressure off my parents (Clive and Cordelia).
‘My dad has heart problems and it has taken a huge burden off his shoulders and maybe saved him from something happening. The people who donated saved us.’
The money raised from the GoFundMe will now also be used to cover funeral costs.
Mrs Donald paid tribute to her younger brother, saying: “He was an inspiration, I know everyone says that but he really was.
“He was the youngest of five siblings but he was the one we all looked up to.
“My son saw him as a brother, because I lived with Ryan practically his whole life.
‘Words can’t describe how amazing he was, everyone knew him and everyone loved him.
His sister believes Ryan (right) may have suffered an injury during training or during one of his fights
‘You can see that in all the donations and messages we’ve received.
“He’s had an impact on everyone’s lives.
‘He could make you laugh, even when you didn’t want to, he could irritate you.
“He was literally a spark in our lives.”
A post-mortem is expected to take place when Ryan’s body returns to the UK.