A DEVOTED daughter from Musselburgh has launched a fundraising initiative to help her beloved dad who has suffered a stroke at his home in Thailand.

Pailin Gordon, 31, of Edenhall Crescent, has set up a GoFundMe page in a bid to reach her £10,000 target to cover some of his medical bills and make his house wheelchair accessible.

Already, about £2,000 has been donated by well-wishers.

Her 87-year-old dad Alec Gordon, originally from Glasgow, lives with his Thai wife Napat, aged 76, in Cha-um, a small, remote coastal town in the country’s Phetchaburi province. A retired university lecturer, he moved to Thailand 40 years ago because of his work.

Pailin, who is also known as Lynn for short, is a self-employed piano teacher and made the Honest Toun her home five years ago.

She explained: “My father doesn’t work anymore but still writes some articles here and there about colonialism. He was recently invited to give a lecture in Malaysia which, despite his age, he was so eager to go to and happy that someone wanted to hear him speak. He came home afterwards and there were no signs whatsoever.”

But four days later Mr Gordon was found in bed by his wife, unable to move or speak.

“He was sweating and pale. They rushed him to hospital but later had to move him to another hospital because they were not equipped to help. He is now in a Thai government hospital. At the moment he still can’t speak or move the right side of his body,” said Pailin.

“Throughout my life as a child living in Thailand, I only came to the UK for holidays once every 10 years. My dad always talks about his life in Scotland: all the places he visited, its nature and wildlife. He loves being outside walking and birdwatching. I came here because I want to learn more about my Scottish heritage. I knew I wanted to live near Edinburgh. My mum, dad and I love the beach so my dad said, Why not somewhere in East Lothian?”

Pailin, who is married, said her parents’ house now needed a ramp and wheelchair, adding: “Their only income is from my mum’s pension which isn’t much. I’m also helping them and planning to go back to Thailand.

“I’m self-employed so I will lose my income while I’m in Thailand helping them.”

She said: “My dad is my mum’s partner and best friend so I cannot imagine how she is feeling now. She is very brave. It’s funny how you appreciate and admire your parents more when something like this happens. They live in a remote area and quite isolated from anything really. They don’t drive or own a car so have to rely on the very few neighbours around them.

“It’s been difficult because I’m so far away and I do feel guilty that I cannot help them more. It must be so frustrating for my dad too. We don’t know how much he can understand us yet but going from being such an active person to not being able to do anything for yourself must be quite frightening for him. That is why I thought about the GoFundMe page.”

She added: “He is currently in a Thai government hospital where care is limited. I want him to have better care to give him a better chance of recovering from the stroke and support for my strong mum who is currently doing everything she can by herself to make him as comfortable as possible.”

To support Pailin go to www.gofundme.com and search ‘Lynn Gordon Musselburgh’.