British woman who died after botched weight loss op's last WhatsApp

The father of a British woman who died after botched weight loss surgery in Turkey has revealed her final words to him, saying she was 'OK' and had started 'healing'.

Morgan Ribeiro, 20, flew out to undergo a gastric sleeve op after being bullied for years about her weight, but died from complications relating to the surgery in a Serbian hospital after becoming severely unwell on her flight home.

Her father, Richard Ribeiro, said she had carried out research online before deciding to pay £2,500 to a company in Switzerland, later flying to Turkey for the operation itself, staying in hospital for three days.

But he revealed that her final heartbreaking message to him was a WhatsApp voice note just before she boarded a Wizz Air flight back to Gatwick, after telling him she felt 'OK and that she was starting the healing process'.

However, she never made it home after it emerged surgeons had perforated her small intestine, causing an infection that led to a heart attack on January 9, for which she was placed in an induced coma.

She died four days later despite the best efforts of Serbian medics. Mr Ribeiro, 44, has urged others to avoid flying abroad for cheap private operations.

'She contacted me while she was out there, after she had the operation, said it had gone OK and that she was starting the healing process, but that she was sore,' he told the Mirror.

He said he had been unable to listen to the voice note again after it became the last time he would hear his daughter speak.

READ MORE: 'See you on the other side!' Harrowing last TikTok posts of British girl, 20, who died writhing in agony in a Belgrade hospital after undergoing £2,500 weight loss surgery

Mr Ribeiro added: 'That was the last time I heard her voice. I haven’t been able to listen to it again.

'We want to make sure something like this doesn’t ever happen again. That no more children are taken away from their families because of these ridiculous surgeries, where they do not operate properly and do not follow proper procedures.'

Morgan had used cash from a trust fund set up by her parents to pay for the surgery, posting about it excitedly on TikTok.

One video was tragically captioned: 'My last post before weight loss surgery - see you on the other side.' 

Earlier today, her mother Erin Gibson told MailOnline she had become estranged from her 'head-strong' daughter in the months before the operation earlier this month.

She said: 'She was interested in the bargain price. The clinic only highlights the successes, not the failures. If I had had known I would have shown her risks.

'I only found out she was having the operation on the day she flew out and by then it was too late.'

Serbian prosecutors, together with the British authorities, have launched investigations into Morgan's death after she took ill on her flight home, going into septic shock.

The Wizz Air flight was forced to make an emergency landing in Belgrade, where surgeons removed over 10cm of her small intestine in a bid to save her. 

Her older sister, Kayleigh, 26, had begged her not to go through with the operation while boyfriend Jamie Brewster said the hospital had not made the risks associated with the surgery clear before she went under the knife.

Mr Brewster told the Independent that she did not want to wait years to have the surgery on the NHS.

The organisation that connected Morgan with surgeons in Turkey has denied any wrongdoing. 

Ms Gibson added: 'The Serbian doctors and authorities have been great. They told me this is the third time a plane carrying a British cosmetic surgery patient has had to make an emergency landing in Belgrade because of medical complications.

'The Serbian prosecutor's office and the British authorities have launched investigations into Morgan's death. I hope it doesn't happen to another girl, to another woman's daughter.'

A government spokesman said: 'We are supporting the family of a British woman who died in Belgrade and are in contact with the local authorities.

'We urge anyone considering a medical procedure abroad to review our travel advice and the relevant guidance from the NHS and other professional bodies.'

Morgan's tragic death comes days after a 26-year-old mother-of-three died days after a Brazilian bum-lift operation in Turkey.

Demi Agoglia of Salford, Greater Manchester, is said to have become ill despite doctors initially declaring her surgery last Thursday was successful.

The 26-year-old, who had a seven-month-old baby boy, first said she felt unwell just hours before she was due to return to Manchester, The Sun reported.

The young woman was taken into intensive care but was tragically pronounced dead last Monday.

She had flown to Turkey having already had dental work which was botched as well as another surgery.

Brits who have died after going under the knife in Turkey

At least 25 Brits have died as a result of medical tourism trips to Turkey since January 2019, according to the Government's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Here, MailOnline highlights some of the victims.

Leah Cambridge

Leah Cambridge, 29, suffered a blood clot during a £6,500 Brazilian butt lift surgery in Turkey. 

The mother-of-three, from Leeds, died just one day after travelling to an Elite Aftercare clinic in Turkey in August 2018. 

The trainee beautician, described as being 'paranoid about her body', paid in cash for the procedure after being inspired by pictures on Instagram. 

The procedure involved having fat extracted from the waist and injected into the buttocks.

But she suffered a fatal complication when fat was accidentally injected into a vein causing her to have three heart attacks on the operating table.

Ms Cambridge's partner Scott Franks told Wakefield Coroner's Court that the surgeon who carried out the procedure told him he had 'injected the fat too far into the muscle and it entered her veins'. 

Mr Franks said when he flew out to Turkey after his partner died, Dr Ali Uckan, the surgeon who treated Leah, had told him: 'It's a guessing game, you can't see where you are going into.' 

Ms Cambridge father, Craig, took his own life in 2021 with an inquest held in July last year hearing how he was never able to get past the loss of his daughter. 

Diarra Akua Eunice Brown

Diarra Akua Eunice Brown, died aged 28, two days after getting liposuction at a clinic in the suburb of Bahcelievler in Istanbul, in October 2021. 

She reportedly underwent the operation to have fat removed from her hips. 

While the procedure initially appeared to be a success, Ms Brown 'suddenly' fell ill while having her dressings changed.

She died just hours later. 

Social media posts from family and friends described her as a 'beautiful soul' and a 'close friend'.

'This must be a dream,' one post said. 'Still can't come to terms with this yet.'

'I miss you angel. I'm devastated you were taken away way before your time,' said another.

Shannon Bowe

Shannon Bowe, from Denny, near Falkirk, died while undergoing gastric band surgery in Turkey in April 2023. 

The 28-year-old passed away during the procedure which involves placing a band around the stomach.

Where exactly Ms Bowe had the procedure in Turkey and the complication that led to her death have not been revealed.

In the aftermath of her death, Ms Bowe's boyfriend Ross Stirling wrote on social media: 'Sleep tight my angel, love you forever and always.'

Gastric band surgery involves a doctor placing a gastric band around the top of the stomach, creating a small pouch.

When the patient eats, this small pouch fills up more quickly than their stomach normally would, making them feel fuller with less food.

By encouraging them to eat less, the procedure can help patients lose weight.  

Melissa Kerr

Melissa Kerr, 31, died while undergoing a Brazilian butt lift in Turkey in 2019, just before her wedding.

Ms Kerr traveled to Istanbul's Medicana Haznedar Hospital in November that year for gluteal augmentation, which can cost up to £3,150. 

The psychological wellbeing practitioner, from Gorleston, Norfolk, died from a blocked artery in her lung as a result of undergoing the surgery.  

Her twin sister Natasha who set up a justgiving.com page after her death described her a 'a pure and beautiful soul inside and out'.

She said: 'Words cannot describe the pain and heartbreak we are going through, life without her will never be the same again.

'We miss her deeply and nothing will fill the emptiness we are left with.'

Melissa's partner Skye Birch said: 'I will continue to love you with all my heart until my last breath.' 

Ms Kerr also worked as a volunteer helping domestic violence victims and supporting people through bereavement.

Abimbola Ajoke Bamgbose

Abimbola Ajoke Bamgbose, a 38-year-old social worker, from Dartford, Kent, died in August 2020 after undergoing liposuction surgery in Turkey. 

The mother-of-three bought an overseas package deal with Mono Cosmetic Surgery after becoming fed-up with people asking her if she was pregnant, according to her husband. 

A post-mortem examination found that Mrs Bamgbose suffered perforations to her bowel during the surgery, with the cause of death given as peritonitis with multiple organ failure. 

Peritonitis is an infection of the peritoneum, the inner lining of the tummy which covers vital internal organs like the kidneys, liver and bowel.

Her husband Moyosore Olowo told an inquest he was unaware his wife had traveled abroad for cosmetic surgery, instead believing she had simply gone on a holiday with her friends. 

It was not until Mrs Bamgbose called her husband to say she was suffering from stomach pains following the procedure that he found out what had happened. 

Mr Olowo said his wife had visited a private medical practice in the UK for surgery but added that the cost had been too high for her to have the treatment in Britain.

Carol Keenan

Carol Keenan, 54, died six days after undergoing a combined Brazilian butt lift and tummy tuck in Turkey.  

The grandmother, of Glenrothes, Fife, paid £7,000 for the procedures at  a private hospital in Istanbul in 2022 after becoming anxious about the way her body looked.

Ms Keenan also accepted the offer of free abdominal muscle repair surgery shortly before she was taken into the operating theatre.

But she died before she was due to have a final check up and fly home.

Speaking to MailOnline in April, her family said they are still waiting for the results of her autopsy 11 months on from her death.

Her daughter Leonie Keenan, 32, said: 'My mother was a fit and healthy individual. She was a very petite size 10 and she kept in shape by walking everywhere and going swimming.

'She was a very active grandmother who loved bouncing on the trampoline with the kids-but she was not happy with her body even though everyone told her she looked great.

'She set her heart on having surgery after seeing stories about other people and celebrities having procedures. I don't know if it was like a mid-life crisis.'

Morgan Ribeiro 

Morgan Ribeiro, 20, flew out to undergo a gastric sleeve op in January 2024 after being bullied for years about her weight, but died from complications relating to the surgery in a Serbian hospital after becoming severely unwell on her flight home.

Morgan's procedure took place on January 5 and three days later she was given the all-clear to fly home with her boyfriend James Brewster, 19, however on their return flight to Gatwick, Morgan became seriously ill and went into septic shock. 

After the plane made an emergency landing in Serbia, it emerged that Morgan's small intestine had been cut during the gastric sleeve procedure, leading to an infection. 

During the operation, surgeons removed over 10cm of her small intestine but tragically Morgan suffered a heart attack on January 9 and was placed in an induced coma - dying four days later in a hospital in Belgrade. 

Morgan's family say they had not known about her planned operation until just days before she was due to fly out and were concerned by the risks.