A BRIT dad has been blinded and left paralysed after being bitten by a King Cobra while battling his second bout of coronavirus.
Charity boss Ian Jones is now being treated in intensive care after the terrifying snake attack in an Indian village.
The Isle of Wight man, who helps import fairly traded crafts, has been at death’s door since he suffered the poisonous bite in Rajasthan.
He is now facing mounting medical bills and his charity – Sabirian – has started a GoFundMe drive to pay for his care so they can bring him home.
Ian’s son Seb said: “Dad is a fighter, during his time out in India he had already suffered from Malaria and Dengue Fever even before COVID-19.
He added: “And yet he had remained resolute in his determination to stay in the country and continue his work help the people that needed his support.
“He had not been able to travel home due to the pandemic and as a family we understood his desire to continue to support the many people who relied on him.
“We were naturally concerned about him though and then when we heard he had also suffered what is usually a fatal snake bite on top of all that he had been through, we honestly could not believe it.
“It really has been touch and go, he is stable at the moment although he has paralysis in his legs and blindness, both of which we hope is temporary.
“But it is clear he is going to need to remain in hospital out there for some time to come.
“We are extremely grateful to his colleagues there who have been brilliant and rallied around him in his time of need, as indeed he did for them.”
Ian suffered the potentially fatal bite whilst at his Jodhpur base, where many of the local craftsmen and women that Sabirian support live and work.
