Footballer, 18, dies on lads' holiday before even unpacking bags on trip
A teenage footballer has passed away on the first night of his lads' holiday in Ibiza as his family issue a devastating warning to other young people.
Ryan Long, from Eastwood, Essex, died on 8 July after days in intensive care following an outing to a club almost a week prior.
The 18-year-old was an aspiring footballer at the Ben Bradford Goalkeeping Academy, with his sudden death leaving his parents completely heartbroken.
Ryan had just landed in Ibiza, Spain, on 2 July for his first ever lads' holiday when the group decided to hit the clubs on their first night.
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His parents believe that he took drugs while at the club, specifically ecstasy, which caused him to fall ill.
It's a situation which his mum, Angela, and dad, Adrian, 'can't wrap their heads' around, as the former claimed that Ryan started to fall ill in the taxi, foaming at the mouth.
"Their cases were in the room and he didn’t even unpack - they went straight out, excited to be on their first lads’ holiday on their own," Adrian explained.
Angela claimed that her late son's last word was his brother Aaron's name.
Ryan was partying at UNVRS nightclub before the incident, which his parents are now using as a warning to other youngsters gearing up for their first holidays abroad.
"We've sat our boys down many a time and told them not to take drugs," Angela emotionally said. "I just can't get my head round it. Not in a million years did I ever think he would do anything like this. He was a good kid."
Adrian said that Ryan and his four friends flew out in the afternoon and went straight out.
Adding more detail, the dad explained: "They visited a few bars before ending up at the club and he didn't seem quite right there. Towards the end of the night, he got in a cab to go back to the apartments with his friends."
Angela said that her son collapsed and became unconscious when getting out of the taxi, slipping into a coma.
Following attempts from his friends to put him in the recovery position and an ambulance arriving shortly after, they called his parents and suspected it was a reaction due to his nut allergy or he had been spiked.
"Once he'd got into the hospital, the doctor phoned us and said it wasn't great. It was his heart and his kidneys. He was on dialysis and having transfusions," Angela said, as they were asked to get there as soon as possible.
Despite desperate attempts to book a flight, the parents were only able to get over on Saturday, despite a mayday call from doctors on the Thursday to warn them that it wasn't looking good.
Ryan was set to undergo a liver transplant, but it was soon clear that he would not survive as a result of going into septic shock and a brain haemorrhage.
Adrian and Angela warned teenagers not to believe 'they're invincible' as 'you don't know what people are trying to give you' at party destinations like Ibiza.
At the time of his passing, Ryan was undertaking an apprenticeship.
"He was a natural at whatever he did. He swam for Essex when he was younger and had always been involved in football - his teams were Southend and Chelsea," Adrian recalled.
You can donate to Ryan's GoFundMe, here.
Joshua Nair