A leukaemia survivor who watched his beloved Liverpool FC lift the Champions League in Madrid has his dream weekend ruined by a series of disasters.
Paul Matchett, 44, was on Cloud Nine after the Reds saw off Tottenham Hotspur to lift a sixth European title on Saturday, but was terrified after developing what he thought was a platelet rash on his foot, a potential symptom of Leukaemia.
His partner, 38-year-old Carly Beaman, says she was advised by a doctor friend to urge Paul to go straight to hospital.
Mum-of-three Carly, from Birmingham, told the ECHO: "He's been stranded there 24 hours now. He went out to Madrid to watch the game because he's a die hard fan and he goes to all the Liverpool matches.
"On the Sunday he rang me at like 6am to say his foot has swelled up like a balloon and he said 'I know it's a platelet rash'. I said don't be silly it will be the beer and walking around.
"He was really frightened. He sent me a picture and I showed a GP friend, and she said tell him to go to the hospital immediately."
Luckily for Paul, doctors in the Spanish capital came to the conclusion the rash was not a sign of Leukaemia and he was discharged, having missed his flight.
Carly said: "When he came out of hospital he had his bag stolen from by his seat in a restaurant with his passport inside. It also had a massive flag he had taken with him and his Liverpool kits."
Paul, who works in train construction, had experienced issues before the match with his bed and breakfast venue deciding to whack an extra €300 on his bill.
Carly said: "He was gutted but he just thought, I don't want to miss it."
Paul has tried to get help from Spanish police but Carly claims they refused to give him a crime number.
He now faces mounting costs in hotel bills and has been told by the British consulate that it could take up to two more days for a new passport to be ready.
Sales manager Carly, who has been in a relationship with Paul for around four years, said Paul survived a rare form of Leukaemia before they were together.
She said: "He was given an experimental form of treatment. He was one of only two people in the country to have it and the other one died.
"He is such a lovely bloke, he has taken on my children as his own and he had booked a family holiday for us, but now we will have no spending money."
