A DESPERATE daughter has launched a £10,000 appeal to bring her dementia-stricken dad back home from the Far East.

Peter Thurgood, 74, lived in Braintree almost all of his life until 17 years ago when he decided to follow his dreams 6,000 miles away in Thailand.

Daughter Trina, who was born in Braintree, said: "He worked six days a week, 12-hour shifts, and on the seventh day he would come and pick me up from my mum’s house and spend the day with me and my brother, Lee.

"He was and is a fantastic father to me."

Peter met girlfriend Pong 15 years ago and has truly lived his dream.

But last year he went into a diabetic coma and had to be rushed to hospital.

Peter's heart was failing and he needed to have a pacemaker fitted.

As it all happened so fast it took a few days to get the £27,000 together and signed off, but the operation finally went ahead.

After Peter came out of the coma, his vascular dementia started and he suffered a stroke.

Trina said: "We are unsure why all this came on so quick but as care was withheld until funds were paid, this may have caused the stroke and dementia."

Peter went back to live with Pong and she cared for him as best she could for about nine months.

But it has been a struggle and Trina now wants her dad back home.

She said: "The right side of his body no longer works due to the stroke and he believes that his right arm and leg belong to someone else who is trying to hurt or kill him.

"This is making him angry and he doesn’t understand.

"He is now bed-bound. He cannot stand and cries for help all night.

"Pong could no longer cope and phoned me almost every day for me to help to calm him down."

Peter is now at Namthip Nursing Home, where he pays £2,000 a month for care, but his funds are running out.

Every hospital visit costs about £500, and he pays £600 per month for his medication.

He has Type 2 diabetes, stage 3 chronic renal failure, chronic kidney disease stage 3, Parkinson’s disease, vascular dementia and is almost blind.

Trina says he now wants to come home.

"I have contacted care homes here in the UK and he would need to be funded through the Government", she said.

"He needs a medical assessment and to apply for funding with the local council. This cannot be done until he is in the UK.

"I can’t get him to the UK until he has a care home in place."

Trina and Lee don't have the funds to bring him home.

They contacted the British Embassy who cannot help as it says this is not an emergency.

Trina is now appealing for help with the cost for her to fly to Thailand, isolation at a hotel of the Thai government's choice, then for her to collect Peter from Namthip Care Home and take him to Bangkok airport.

The pair will have to fly business class home due to Peter's condition.

Trina said: "Then I can start the process of getting him the care and love he deserves."

The total costs will be about £10,000.

Peter will be forced to leave girlfriend Pong behind.

Trina has set up a Go Fund Me, which has more than £500 so far.

To donate to the appeal go to bit.ly/3l0o3hW.