An Essex teenager who was on his first-ever lad’s holiday to Spain died after ‘taking drugs’ in a club just after landing.
The family of 18-year-old Ryan Long, from Eastwood, Essex, said they ‘can’t wrap their heads’ around what happened to their son.
Ryan had just landed in Ibiza with his mates on July 2 before heading out to the club.
His dad, Adrian, said: ‘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.
‘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.’
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Mum Angela said in the taxi, Ryan suddenly fell ill, foaming at the mouth. The last thing he said was his brother Aaron’s name.
‘His friends put him in the recovery position and phoned an ambulance – his friend was doing the respirator while paramedics worked on him,’ she added.
Angela got a phone call and was told Ryan was having a ‘bad reaction’ – she thought he had gone into anaphylaxis from his nut allergy, or been spiked.
His parents believe he had a bad reaction from taking ecstasy, adding: ‘We’ve sat our boys down many a time and told them not to take drugs. I just can’t get my head around it. Not in a million years did I ever think he would do anything like this.’
Ryan was taken to the hospital, where doctors told Adrian and Angela his condition wasn’t ‘great’.
‘It was his heart and his kidneys. He was on dialysis and having transfusions. They asked us to get there as soon as we could,’ she said.
The pair couldn’t get a flight until days later, and rushed to the hospital, before going with him to a larger hospital in Menorca for a liver transplant.
‘But when we got there, they said he wouldn’t survive the operation. More scans had revealed he had septic shock and a brain haemorrhage,’ Adrian said.
Ryan’s family were with him when he passed away on Tuesday, July 8.
They are now warning other young people going on their first holidays to be vigilant about what they are taking.
Adrian said: ‘Youngsters think they’re invincible, but we’re never going to forget this. You don’t know what’s there or what people are trying to give you.
‘You can drum it into them many times, but hopefully people will think twice. It is the height of the season now, and everyone will be going out there.
‘In that environment, they’re away from home, the adrenaline is going, and they just don’t think.’
Angela added: ‘The devastation they leave behind is not worth it. His mates who tended to him are traumatised from what they’ve been through.’
His mates have left moving tributes to him online. Matty Wollard wrote: ‘There will always be a Ryan-shaped hole in our family that can never be filled.
‘Thank you for being the sweetest, kindest and purest soul. I’m so grateful for the amazing memories we have shared over the years. Love you, kiddo.’
Ben Bradford, from BBGK training academy, added: ‘One of our long-standing members and his family are experiencing an unimaginable loss, following the recent passing of a beloved brother and son. This family has been with me since the very beginning—nearly 10 years—and they are truly part of the heart and history of our academy.’
Ryan was undertaking an apprenticeship at the time of his death and was considering whether to take a year out to pursue his passion for scuba diving.
Mum Angela said: ‘He was a natural in the water and was the youngest open water diver at the school where he learnt in Cyprus.’
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