Fiance died in his bride-to-be’s arms on flight back from LA after suddenly falling ill just 24 hours after she proposed
Martyn Foulds collapsed at the check-in desk before his 11-hour flight home but decided to fly anyway
A FIANCE died in his bride-to-be's arms on a flight back from America the day after she proposed.
Martyn Foulds and Sally Mondryk were on a dream holiday to the West Coast of the US when Martyn fell seriously ill in Los Angeles.
Just 24 hours earlier, Sally had proposed to Martyn, a senior claims manager for Lloyds Banking Group in Halifax, West Yorks, at the Grand Canyon.
The couple were forced to cut their trip short and fly back to the UK, but in a devastating turn of events, Martyn lost his battle for life while travelling home.
The 55-year-old, described as having an infectious personality, faced health troubles for some months before his death.
It later emerged he had an advanced tumour on his bowel.
Speaking from their home in Holywell Green, Sally, 48, said Martyn had not been well since June and had recurrent urine infections.
Numerous hospital scans discovered he had something called fistula, which means that a hole had developed between his bowel and his bladder.
She added: "He was due for an operation and we were just waiting for a date, but they said it was OK for him to go on holiday, which had been booked since last year.
"It was a holiday of a lifetime and we had really been looking forward to it."
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The pair flew out on October 15 to take in the sights of Los Angeles, Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon, but just a couple of days in, Martyn took a turn for the worse.
Sally said he started being sick and lost his appetite.
She added: "It was getting worse and we woke up on the Thursday morning he said 'I think we might need to try and get a flight home, I really don't feel well'."
The couple booked a flight back to Gatwick, but when they arrived at Los Angeles International Airport, Martyn collapsed at the check-in desk before their 11-hour flight home.
Sally said: “It was horrific, but he wanted to get home at that point so I just followed his wishes.
"My instinct was to get an ambulance, but he kept saying he could sleep on the plane and he would get help when he got home.
“He just went downhill on the plane. About four hours in, he was complaining of back pain and he wasn’t comfortable. He was struggling to breathe properly by that point."
A call-out for medics was issued on the flight and two doctors and two nurses came forward to help, but his condition continued to worsen and he collapsed again.
Sally said: "At that point, he actually said ‘I think I’m dying’. It was horrific.
"I got him back to his seat and about another hour in he started breathing funny. Everybody was looking at him.
"That was the worst thing - 300 people were watching him die.
"I had his head in my hands - he kept trying to move me and I wouldn’t. I was making him look at me, his eyes kept drifting off and I kept asking him if he was alright. He’d come back and say he was fine and then, he just died."
The plane was diverted to Canada so Martyn could receive medical attention.
That was the worst thing - 300 people were watching him die.
Sally Mondryk, Martyn's fiance
To add to her devastating ordeal, Sally had to leave Martyn in Canada while a post-mortem was carried out.
It found that Martyn had been living with an advanced 15cm tumour on his bowel, which hadn’t been picked up by previous scans at the hospital.
His bowel had ruptured because of the tumour and he also had metastasis of the liver.
Now Sally and her family are waiting for Martyn’s body to be flown back to the UK so they can make funeral arrangements.
Paying an emotional tribute to music, comedy and car enthusiast Martyn, Sally said: "He was a consummate professional and very work driven. He very much worked for the customer.
"He had the most booming laugh and everybody has said they will miss that.
"He was very caring and very honest. He’d help everybody else, before he helped himself. He cared about everyone else more than himself, hence why he probably didn’t go to the doctor sooner.
"He was just a lovely person and very well thought of.
"I have some fantastic memories of the holiday, obviously some very sad ones too, but he got to show me what he wanted to show me.
"We had a brilliant future planned and things had just got to where we needed them to be."
He cared about everyone else more than himself, hence why he probably didn’t go to the doctor sooner
Sally Mondryk, Martyn's fiance
Tributes have poured in from the business world following Martyn’s tragic death. He was supremely qualified in the insurance field, which he had worked in all his life, and in May, had become a fellow of the prestigious Chartered Institute of Insurance.
Martyn had worked for Lloyds Banking Group since 2003 and colleagues said he will be greatly missed.
Kelly Young, Martyn’s colleague and friend at Lloyds Banking Group, said: "Martyn was a highly valued, gifted and key member of our business and a treasured friend to many of his colleagues.
"We will all miss his support and infectious personality and our thoughts are with his family."
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