A NORTH-East man who almost died after falling ill on holiday is back home after five months spent fighting for his life.

Keith Rochester, from Houghton-le-Spring, spent 12 weeks in intensive care after developing pancreatitis while on holiday in Cuba.

The 41-year-old finally flew home with his wife Sharon on Thursday.

He said: “It was totally surreal coming into the airport – I’ve thought about coming home that much. I wasn’t emotional until I saw my parents and sister.

“It’s great to be home. I think I just feel mentally a lot better within myself for being back. I’ve still got a lot of aches and pains so I’ve got nurses coming every day and I’m by no means out of the woods yet. It’s no smoking and drinking for me now.”

Mr Rochester’s ordeal started in January when he went to hospital in Cuba with suspected appendicitis. But when doctors operated they found his pancreas had burst, leaking fluid around his internal organs. He had to be revived after his heart stopped during surgery and had a string of other complications which lengthened his stay in the island’s Lenin Hospital.

He left hospital six weeks ago but has only just been allowed to fly home.

He is now facing a lengthy recovery with frequent visits to the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle.

Mrs Rochester said: “We’re both exhausted but it’s such a relief to be home and to have Keith being looked after by UK doctors. It’s been so traumatic it’s hard to put into words. It’s been such a stressful time for five months.

“We want to thank everyone – the Cuban family who supported us and helped with the language barrier, our friends and family on Facebook and the doctors who saved Keith’s life. We owe them everything. They were calling him a miracle man because of all the complications he went through.”

While he was in hospital, his parents Pam and George, and sister Liz Cummings, flew out to visit him - fearing history might be repeating itself. Mr Rochester's brother Christopher, of Chester-le-Street, died after falling from a balcony on the Greek island of Rhodes in 2000, aged 24.

A crowdfunding campaign raised more than £3,300 to help with the cost of their lengthy stay in Cuba.

Mr Rochester added: “I didn’t know anything about the fundraising until Sharon told me about it later. It’s just fantastic. I can’t thank people enough. We were in a bad situation but it kept Sharon out there with me and without her I wouldn’t have come home.