THE family of a holidaymaker who was flown home missing a kidney after he died have spoken of their nightmare as his brother fights for his life following an emergency operation in Cuba.

Christopher Rochester of Chester-le-Street, died after falling from a balcony on the Greek Island of Rhodes in 2000 aged 24.

Now his brother Keith, 41, is on a life support system after becoming seriously ill while on holiday with his wife, Sharon.

Mother Pam and George Cummings of Chester-le-Street, who were forced by Greek authorities to exhume the body of Christopher, have been locked in legal battle over the missing organ for 15 years.

Mrs Cummings said: “I can’t take the fact of losing another son. It’s like history is repeating itself, except poor Chris didn’t even have a chance when he went through the hospital doors.

“Keith has been having first-class medical care.”

Speaking from Cuba, Mrs Rochester, 42, of Houghton-le-Spring, thanked friends in the country for their support and said she was remaining strong.

"Keith was in a critical state and put on life support," she said. "He is still fighting for his life."

His younger sister Liz, 23, has flown out to be at his bedside.

Keith was rushed into hospital at the weekend. Doctors intially thought he had appendicitis but when they operated, they found his pancreas had burst, leaking fluid around his internal organs.

Mrs Cummings said: “It’s awful. It’s still going on with Chris. We were in London at the Greek embassy last month.

“We are still fighting to get the DNA results. I’ve got my elderly father who was rushed into hospital at the weekend and then this happened with Keith.

“He was was rushed into hospital at the weekend. They thought it might have been his appendix, but when they did scans they found a black mass which they couldn’t fathom out.

“So they had to open up and that was when they found his that pancreas had burst.

“They did emergency surgery and he was put on life support, because they were concerned about respiratory problems.”

Keith had further surgery on Tuesday. He wasn’t recovering as well as he should have so he had surgery again on Tuesday.

Mrs Cumming said: “The doctors said to Sharon to keep talking and she was saying how much we all loved him and how she wanted him to get better.

“He moved his fingers and eyes, so he could obviously hear.”

A Greek doctor was convicted in 2008 of neglecting Christopher during his treatment in hospital, but the dispute over the organ continues and had even involved Christopher’s body being exhumed at Ropery Lane Cemetery in 2011.

Liz’s friend Trudy Thompson has set up a GoFundMe page to help raise funds for the family.

Anyone who would like to support the appeal to support Sharon and Keith should visit go fundme.com/hdyqrxpw?rcid=218b9f568ee74500bde684955688baf7.