The heartbroken mother of a young British teacher who died suddenly in China has said he passed away only minutes after speaking to her on the phone.
Bradley Hall, 25, had been working as a teacher near Shanghai for two years when he died suddenly on May 10.
Just an hour and a half before his death, Bradley, who studied law at Teesside University before switching to education, had been chatting happily with his mother, Lindsey Hall, about his upcoming trip back to home in Teeside.
His family has since been left in shock, with few answers and mounting bills to bring him home.
They’ve been told his sudden passing may have been caused by a heart-related issue but weeks after signing the papers for a post-mortem in China, they were told it would cost £3,000.
They are now fighting to bring his body back to the UK,with heartbroken mother, Ms Hall, 46, telling TeessideLive: ‘I was talking to my son an hour and a half beforehand, chit chatting away.
‘Then he rang back. I said “hiya son, alright?” but it was his friend to say he’d passed away.’
UK authorities have said a second post-mortem may still be required once his body is repatriated, according to Bradley’s stepfather, Marc Henderson-Thynne, 56, who said information is very ‘scarce’ at the moment.
Bradley was described by his family as ‘fit as a fiddle’, a gym-goer, non-smoker, and devoted Middlesbrough FC fan.
Mr Henderson-Thynne said: ‘He was fit, he trained, he didn’t smoke, didn’t drink. He was never in any trouble, he didn’t like violence, he loved football and had a season ticket before.’
A GoFundMe campaign has now been launched to help cover repatriation costs, which are estimated at around £18,000.
The fundraiser said: ‘Sadly, on May 10th, my 25-year-old nephew Bradley passed away suddenly while in China. I’m doing this just to make it a bit easier on his mam and dad.
‘He was working out there as a teacher, as a family, we are absolutely devastated and heartbroken.
‘We are working with the authorities here and in China to bring him home. As you will imagine this is not going to be cheap, and when he is home we need a funeral which a parent doesn’t expect to have to do any donation will be amazing no matter how much any funds that are left after everything we will be donating to the Finley cooper foundation in Bradley’s memory.’
So far, around £5,300 has been raised toward a £6,000 goal while the family is being charged £6 per day for his body to remain in a Chinese mortuary.
Bradley’s aunt, Emma Henderson-Thynne, has been leading contact with the UK embassy and Chinese authorities on the family’s behalf.
Bradley was planning to come visit his family in the UK in July, the first time since last summer, with his beloved mother preparing a parmo for his brief return.
His mother said: ‘It feels like because he’s not at home, I’m in a bubble. I know he’s gone, but I’m still in this bubble.’
He had built a new life abroad with his girlfriend Joanna and their dog.
Despite ongoing efforts, the family remains without a confirmed timeline for Bradley’s return.
