A GRANDAD who found out he was terminally ill after collapsing on holiday abroad is finally being treated in a Glasgow hospital – after we stepped in to secure him a bed.

David Walton took seriously ill on the last day of his trip to Antalya in Turkey with wife Liz, 58, and had to be rushed by ambulance to a private facility for emergency care.

He had to undergo costly treatment to stabilise him before the family were given the shock news that he had colon cancer and should go home to begin treatment.

We previously told how the couple forked out £30,000 on medical bills and flights to return wheelchair-bound David to the UK, but with only passage available to London, David was left lying in limbo in the capital's Hillingdon Hospital with Liz staying in nearby hotel.

The desperate couple contacted the Glasgow Times asking for help to have the 67-year-old brought back to Glasgow after saying health board chiefs here had told them David's transfer would be delayed while the worked out the type of bed and specialist care he required.

We highlighted the family’s plight after the grandfather had spent over a week in London – and he was finally transferred back home.

Liz, from Robroyston, said: “I can’t thank the Glasgow Times enough for stepping in to help. We were getting nowhere, and no one could tell us when or if David would get a medical bed in a Glasgow hospital until you took up the fight for us.

“Within days of the story running in your paper, we were told that a bed had been secured for him at Glasgow Royal Infirmary. He was then driven from London to Glasgow by ambulance and is now receiving the best quality of care.

Glasgow Times: David and Liz flying off on holiday, unaware of what was about to unfold.David and Liz flying off on holiday, unaware of what was about to unfold. (Image: Supplied)

“The staff at the Royal have been incredible and David is undergoing surgery on his bowel. He’s been able to see the family and had plenty of cuddles from our grandkids. It was a massive relief to be back in Glasgow after a six-week nightmare.

“He is just so happy to be around familiar faces and we have a plan in place for care relating to his cancer. We are taking things one day at a time while remaining as hopeful and positive as we can be.”

The couple are also now in the process of recouping the tens of thousands of pounds they ran up on credit cards to pay bills abroad after fell David ill. 

READ MORE: Couple's £30k agony after grandad falls ill while in Turkey

Support worker Liz says they have been moved to tears by the kind messages of support they have received since their story appeared on our front page.

She adds: “We have had so many lovely messages from readers of the paper. To have complete strangers reaching out to say they are thinking of us has been so touching during a difficult time. “

David, who worked all his life for the Inland Revenue until he retired a few years ago, will continue to stay at the Royal until he’s fit enough to return home, a moment Liz says will mean the world to the couple.

She adds: “We just never imagined something like this would happen when we set off on holiday.

“We went to Turkey on September 30 and the evening before we were due to return home David took unwell.

“He was subsequently admitted to a private hospital and was initially diagnosed with a gastric infection. This escalated to sepsis and kidney failure, which the doctors managed to get this under control, however they sent him for an MRI scan which has shown a mass in his colon and a suspected spread.

“To receive the news that doctors believe he has cancer while we were thousands of miles from home was devastating, but finally we have some positive news to focus on.

“Once he’s recovered from surgery and fit enough David will be able to return home - and that’s what we are all looking forward to.”