Appeal for private flight to bring critically ill British baby home from Hong Kong

A UK-registered air ambulance and family support charity has issued an urgent appeal for a donated private flight to bring a critically ill baby boy home from Hong Kong.

Lia’s Wings said on Friday that nine-month-old Matthew, from Nottinghamshire, had travelled to Hong Kong with his mother several months ago to visit relatives.

He fell ill with influenza A and suffered three cardiac arrests, leaving him critically ill in hospital. His brain was reportedly deprived of oxygen for 47 minutes.

His mother, Sophia Lee, approached Lia’s Wings as a last resort, hoping the charity could arrange an air transfer to bring him home for medical care.

The charity said on social media that Matthew’s travel insurer would not cover the cost of his journey home and that commercial airlines had deemed him too high-risk to fly.

It added that an air ambulance was an option, but the cost of up to HK$2.1 million (US$267,993) was beyond what the charity and his family could afford.

Lia’s Wings said it was now exploring what might be its last option, appealing to the aviation industry for a donated private flight to bring Matthew home safely.

“Without the repatriation, he risks becoming ‘a tragedy, a British baby left somewhere where he wasn’t within the reach of the help of the community where he belongs to,” Charlotte Young, the chief operating officer of Lia’s Wings, said.

“Commercial airlines are very used to adults, but babies bring a whole new level of concern for them.

“We tried to have that as a first option, because it would have made everything more financially viable, a fifth of the cost, but it is not an option, although we tried our hardest.”

Matthew is reportedly ‘incredibly unwell’ but in a stable condition.