The family of Beth Martin who died in mysterious circumstances on a family holiday in Turkey have paid a heartfelt tribute to her – as a fundraiser in her name nears £200,000.
The 28-year-old from Portsmouth set off on the dream trip with her husband Luke and their two young children Elouise, eight and Tommy, five, on Sunday April 27.
But after falling ill during the flight – something she initially blamed on food poisoning – her symptoms only worsened when they touched down in the holiday hotspot.
By Monday morning, she was ‘delirious’ and, following a scramble for an ambulance, she was handed over to doctors where she was ‘pinned down, poked, prodded invasively’. By Tuesday night, she was dead.
Beth’s family claim they were kept in the dark about the seriousness of her condition – with Luke even being accused of ‘poisoning’ his wife by the Turkish authorities.
And in a further sickening development, a UK autopsy later revealed Beth’s heart had been removed after she passed away in Turkey.
Now Robert Hammond, Luke’s stepfather, has paid a moving tribute to Beth saying her loss has ‘left a hole that cannot be filled’.
He told : ‘It’s destroyed us, it’s destroyed everybody. Everyone around us, their lives are changing because this has decimated a perfect family unit.
‘We’re a family so we all pull together to help each other but unfortunately everybody’s lives are affected by this.
‘The priority for the moment is the kids and getting the funeral out of the way then we can pursue the next steps.
‘Her death has left a hole that cannot be filled as well as a lot of unanswered questions.
‘If these questions were answered it wouldn’t change the fact she’s dead but it would allow you to grieve rather than just feel angry about what did or might have happened.
‘She will be remembered as brilliant in every way, perfect family members. They were as perfect a couple as you could ever meet. They didn’t go out or drink or smoke, they just loved spending time with each other.
‘Beth felt sick on the plane but they were still willing to go and they were enjoying their time until they weren’t.’
Beth’s family has now been left desperately searching for answers about how and why she died – with Luke saying he has suffered the ‘deepest level of trauma’.
He said having to tell his young children they will never see their mother again ‘broke him’ and he described the ordeal as the ‘worst week of his life’.
‘Two weeks ago me, my wife and two kids set out for a family holiday to Turkey. Only three of us made it back,’ Luke wrote on social media on May 11.
‘I lost my wife, my children lost their mum, we lost the biggest piece of the puzzle that was our family.
‘It has been the worst and most traumatic week of my entire life, and to top it off. I had to break the news to my babies that their mum isn’t coming home, it broke me.’
Luke has also weathered huge medical bills, baseless police accusations and the indignity of her body being returned without her heart.
Beth’s family are still wondering whether doctors missed a problem with her heart, or failed to acknowledge her allergy to penicillin. It has been alleged that doctors may have given her the drug before her death.
The as-yet-unidentified hospital where she was treated is now thought to be under investigation for potential negligence amid the raft of claims levelled against them.
But the Martins face a distressing six-month wait for a coroner’s inquest that could give them all of the answers they desperately need.
‘If anyone can take anything away from this… hold your loved ones a little longer, don’t sleep on an argument, take photos, take videos, tell them you love them more,’ Luke added in his social media post.
‘You will never know when any of these may be your last.
‘I love you babe, forever by my side. This life and the next.’
To donate to the GoFundMe page for Beth’s family click here.
A GoFundMe page launched by Mr Hammond to ‘help fight for answers from the Turkish government’ has raised more than £180,000.
In a post on the site today, Mr Hammond said: ‘I can’t believe the generosities we’ve seen from all the posting, sharing and donating to this amazing family so far ……..
‘I am absolutely gob smacked at the amount of help and support you guys as a community have poured into this and still I ask you for more.
‘Please please please keep sharing, posting and if possible, donating.
‘I cannot thank you all enough for all your help with this!!’
He previously wrote: ‘In the weeks since bringing Beth home the family is battered and bruised.
‘Everyone is a shell of themselves and no one knows how to even begin to recover from something so horrific.. yet still — it gets worse.
‘The UK autopsy began. And then the final blow: Beth’s heart was missing.
‘The Turkish hospital has removed it. No explanation. No consent. They have invaded her body and they have TAKEN her heart.’
He continued: ‘And this is why we are fighting back. Luke has spent thousands. He’s self-employed, meaning that if he’s not back to work in a matter of days, he won’t be able to support his family.
‘They are grieving, traumatised — and now trying to put the pieces of their family back together.
‘After everything the family have been through – Luke believes passionately that this is something that cannot be taken lying down.’