Granny Dies Days After Brazilian Bum Lift
A BRITISH grandmother died days after undergoing a Brazilian bum lift and tummy tuck in Turkey.
Carol Keenan, 54 – who also underwent a muscle repair at the clinic in Istanbul – collapsed outside her hotel six days after the op.
Almost one year after the horror, Carol’s heartbroken family still haven’t been sent her autopsy results meaning what caused the fit remains a mystery.
Now, her daughter Leonie Keenan, 32, has warned anyone planning a “health tourism” trip to think again.
Support worker Carol and partner Stevie Anderson, 55, flew from Edinburgh to Istanbul last April for the week.
She paid £7,000 for the BBL and tummy tuck.
She was offered a free third procedure – a stomach muscle repair to give her more definition – and went under the knife for six hours.
The whole trip – including the hotel and clinic – was organised as a package.
Carol came out of the surgery feeling positive, before her collapsed and died six days later on April 20.
Mum-of-three Leonie, from Glenrothes, in Fife, Scotland, said: “My mum went to Turkey for an operation and never came home.
“She had no health issues – so we think it must have been the operation – but not knowing is horrific.”
Carol’s heartbroken partner Stevie echoed Leonie’s warning.
He said: “Do not go. Your life is the most important thing.
“With us, grandkids have lost their gran, I’ve lost my partner, for something she didn’t need.”
Primary school support worker Leonie told how her mum had passed all health checks in Turkey before the operations.
She explained: “She was only offered the third procedure ‘free’ as she was getting wheeled down to theatre so I’m not sure she wanted it – but she got it anyway.
“She spent three days recovering after the op and was keen to do some tourism in Istanbul the day before they left for home.”
The couple were walking towards a taxi outside their hotel when she collapsed in Stevie’s arms.
Leonie said: “She was rushed to hospital but she was already dead.
“I got told by Stevie by text message that she had collapsed and then ‘she was gone’.
“I don’t remember anything after that, it was all a blur.”
Carol had an autopsy at the hospital and her body was flown back several days later.
But nearly a year on, the family are no closer to finding out the cause of death.
Leonie said: “We’ve tried calling, the consulate have tried and our lawyer has tried but we’re getting nowhere.”
She criticised celebs and health tourism advertising that glamorises the procedures on social media.
Leonie added: “Mum wasn’t happy with her self-image for a few years before she went to Turkey.
“She was a typical woman – 5ft 10 and small built – but celebrities and people in the public eye always give the impression that image matters.
“This played on her mind from when she turned 50 and she just decided to save up and go for it.
“She was on all these facebook groups where everything is so positive and they are all egging each other on.”
News of support worker Carol’s death comes days after Shannon Bowe, 28, from Denny, near Falkirk, died after a gastric band op in the same country.
The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons have repeatedly warned against the practise as more and more people are travelling to Turkey, in pursuit of cheaper treatments.
An estimated 1.5 million Brits will travel abroad this year in search of procedures that are either not available on the NHS or are much cheaper than here.
