A kind hearted gesture

A kind hearted lottery winner has come to the rescue of a Scottish family who were unable to pay for the return of the body of their father who died while on holiday in Majorca. Gary Gibson, 37, died at Palma's Son Dureta hospital after developing deep vein thrombosis. He had travelled to the island with his wife Lillian without travel insurance and the family were facing the prospect of seeing him buried in Majorca rather than his native Scotland. The whole family had travelled to the island but were forced to head home when funds started to run low. Gibson died at Son Dureta last month. They launched an appeal for help through the Daily Record newspaper and their prayers have been answered. Ten million pound jackpot winner John McGuinness stepped in and offered to help. He told the Daily Record “I am a father myself so I have some idea what it means when such a close family member is ill. Being separated must have made things harder for the family, which is why I was only to happy to help. But to learn that Gary has died is devastating. Fortunately, I am in the position to make sure that his body is brought back to the country without delay.” Gary's widow Lillian told the Record. “Mr McGuinness has been so kind and without his help I don't know what we would have done. The authorities said that they wouldn't pay to have Gary returned and without his generosity we wouldn't have been able to bring him back. This is a very difficult time and now I've just got to concentrate on my five kids.” It's the second time ex-nurse, John McGuinness, has helped the family. When the Gibsons' plight was first revealed he paid for the family to visit Majorca. The Gibsons were enjoying a holiday on the island when the sad tale began to unravel. On the last day of their break Gary complained of a back pain and a sore leg. He was diagnosed with DVT and rushed to hospital. There he had emergency surgery to remove a blood clot from his right leg. Initially the operation was successful but Gary, who was born with congenital heart blockage and had a pacemaker, developed a string of complications. He died in the early hours of Monday morning. He had been plagued with health problems all his life including two strokes and cancer of the eye. Lillian Gibson was forced to return home after Gary's first operation because she had run out of money.