Peter Beetham, 49, celebrated being cancer-free after three years of chemotherapy by booking a flight to Gran Canaria – but the £12.5k trip ended in a terrifying hospital trip
A dad’s holiday turned into a nightmare when he ‘lost all the blood in his body’ by the side of the pool.
Peter Beetham, 49, celebrated being cancer-free after three years of chemotherapy by booking a flight to Gran Canaria for a week away. On March 13 Peter and his partner Sharleene Hickman and one of his friends jetted off to the popular holiday island.
But just two days into his £12,500 holiday his health took a turn for the worse. While lounging by the pool he started ‘spewing a litre of blood’, before collapsing. He was rushed to hospital but staff sent him away saying he had sunstroke.
When Peter started ‘losing constant blood’ on the toilet the next day he decided to fly back home, booking a £50 flight on March 15. Peter went straight to Manchester Royal Infirmary after landing at Manchester Airport, where he was told he had internal bleeding.
Doctors reportedly found an ulcer that had ‘exploded’ in Peter’s bowel, which he said was a result of the surgery he had to remove his pancreas in August 2025, Cheshire Live reports.
Peter was left fearing for his life after he was told he could have died on the plane or by the side of the pool. Peter, from Winsford, Cheshire, said: “I had seven blood transfusions and a small operation and now I’m on the mend. It was horrific, I’m very lucky to be alive. I was feeling awful, they said I should have been dead at the side of the pool. They said even the flight back could have killed me. They didn’t know how I was alive. “
Peter is grateful to be alive after losing ‘every bit of blood’ in his body, but admitted his holiday was ruined. Peter said: “I had four cameras down on me, the first three couldn’t find anything and the fourth one they found the ulcer. I came home for six hours and started spewing blood again so went back to hospital.
“We didn’t feel safe there with all the blood coming out of me. I literally lost every bit of blood in my body, I was dead. I’m very lucky. It ruined the holiday. As soon as I started spewing blood I went white, my lips went crystal clear, I thought I was going to die on the side of the pool.”
The dad of two is now on the mend and is meant to return to hospital for another iron transfusion and scans. Peter claims he is now too scared to plan another holiday after the experience.
Peter said: “I have to go back to have another iron transfusion. Then I will have a scan to make sure it’s healing properly. I knew it wasn’t a sunstroke because I had been there two days and I wasn’t even out in the sun. I was drinking plenty of water so I knew it wasn’t that.
“Luckily nothing happened on the flight. I’m too scared to plan another holiday.”