A PERSONAL trainer is flying home tomorrow from Singapore after recovering from a serious illness and subsequent surgery.

Former Preston Lodge High School pupil Mekala Osborne, of Wallyford, fell ill with bronchial pneumonia while travelling through Vietnam with a friend in September.

Three weeks into her trip she phoned home complaining of a sore throat which slowly got worse. She ended up in an intensive care ward in Vietnam and she was put in an induced coma.

Mekala, 22, was then flown to Singapore for further specialist treatment to attempt to repair her lungs.

Surgery was originally delayed due to a blood clot in her lung but was carried out a week later.

She has responded well to treatment, undergoing physiotherapy and has been sitting up in her wheelchair.

Mekala's mum Yvonne travelled to Asia to be by her daughter’s side. And stepdad Jimmy McAulay told the Courier how they had been humbled by the support they had received from friends and family and wellwishers.

An update on her condition, posted on social media yesterday (Thursday) by Tranent-based Radio Saltire, whose Davie Martin is a close family friend, said: "The specialist medical team looking after Mekala have said that she is now stable enough to fly home.

“Things are being put in place as you read this, arranging an air ambulance and the specialist medical team to fly Mekala back to the UK tomorrow. Yvonne will be travelling with her.

“They will fly Mekala into Manchester arriving on Saturday [tomorrow] where she will be handed over to the UK specialist medical team, and ambulance her by road transport straight to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary’s ICU department.

“Jimmy is driving down to meet them at Manchester and will travel back with Yvonne separately following Mekala.

“This is fantastic news but Mekala still has a long way to go once back in the UK. The family can’t thank Dr Jong and his team in Singapore, who are making this flight with her, for the outstanding care they have given Mekala to date. They have been amazing. 

“They would also like to thank the medical staff and govern bodies her in the UK and abroad who have made this transfer to become possible. 

“Finally, they would like to thank everyone for their amazing support, prayers and good wishes, all of which have helped them through some really tough times and will continue to do so over the coming weeks and months.”

And this morning, a post on Radio Saltire's Facebook page by Yvonne said: "Happy to say Mekala has had final procedures done and in place ready to fly home. We as a family cannot thank everyone enough for the support given to us."

An online fundraising page set up to support her family while they stayed by her side in Asia raised over £12,000.