Brit, 25, stranded in the US after being BANNED from flying

[dricia]

A BRIT has been stranded in the US for more than a YEAR after he was banned from flying home because of his uncontrollable panic attacks.

Ryan Wynne, 25, flew to the United States last summer for a three week holiday but is still there more than a year later with concerned doctors refusing to let him fly.

Former sales assistant Ryan, 25, is now in thousands of pounds of debt and has lost his job at WHSmith.

Ryan, from Whitchurch, Shropshire, said: "I thought I was coming for a summer holiday - I had no idea I would be away from my home, friends and family for over year.

"My medical bills now come to £11,000. I've lost my job.

“I just want to go home."

Ryan, who has a heart murmur, flew to Havertown, Pennsylvania, on June 15 2017 to see friends.

He said: "Everything went normally and I was having a lovely summer holiday.

"Then on 30 June I went to the Franklin Institute, a science museum in Philadelphia, with my friend's daughter, Samantha."

As crowds surged in the tourist hotspot, for a moment Ryan lost sight of Samantha.

The shock triggered a terrifying panic attack.

He said: "All I could think was: If I don't find her daughter, my friend is going to kill me. My body went into shock. I was struggling to breathe.

"The next thing I knew I was in an ambulance going to Bryn Mawr Hospital, Pennsylvania."

Here his heart was found to be racing at 168 beats per minute.

Healthy adults usually have a heart rate of between 60 to 100.

He said: "After six hours in hospital, I was discharged but I was put on a no-fly list. I was fine for a couple of days but then I had a similar panic attack and I ended up in ER.

"Thank goodness I had travel insurance. I was discharged again and prescribed Valium and Ritalin but 24 hours later I was back in ER."

This pattern continued and Ryan was told he was still not well enough for the eight-hour flight back to the UK, booked for July 4 2017.

He said: "They said it was too dangerous. A pilot can't exactly turn the plane around halfway over the Atlantic."

Ryan told his mum Vicky, 47, that he couldn't come home and she was shocked but told him not to worry.

He claims his bosses at WH Smith were not so understanding and demanded specific medical notes that US doctors couldn't provide.

Ryan contacted the UK embassy in New York for help. He says officials told him that he couldn't fly if doctors advised against it.

He contacted US immigration and was informed that he would not be deported as long as he had medical notes explaining his stay in the US.

In February, Ryan was let go from his position at WHSmith and said that he was now struggling with debt.

He said: "My travel insurer Union Reiseversicherung stopped paying after October so I've had to use all my savings to pay them out. This has ruined my life.

"I've been staying with my friend Abby ever since June last year. In just 12 months, I've lost 40 pounds.

"I am so frail that Abby had to get me a walker - the kind of thing elderly people use to help them walk.

"She has to come in with me when I shower because I'm too weak to wash myself.

"I'm bedridden and anything can trigger my anxiety. I have to take valium every day and there is not a day that goes by without a panic attack.

"My doctor is refusing to let me fly until I see a psychiatrist.

"I miss my friends and family. It's been incredibly emotional. When Christmas came and I was still in the US, I felt so low.

"At times I've questioned why I'm even still alive.

"I just want to get home and be with my family and hear English accents and eat fish and chips again."

A spokesperson for Union Reiseversicherung said: "Due to data protection restrictions, we are unable to release specific details surrounding this case.

"However, in response to your concerns please be advised that we have at no stage refused liability and can confirm that our medical team are working hard to ensure he receives the best medical outcome as a priority.

"We are comfortable that this has not been compromised at any stage."

A spokesperson for WH Smith said: "We would never comment on a staff member whether current or former."