A YOUNG Wallyford woman who was seriously ill in South East Asia is making progress and has opened her eyes to see her family for the first time in weeks.

Mekala Osborne, 22, was travelling in Vietnam with a friend when a sore throat sent her to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with bronchial pneumonia.

She was put in an induced coma in critical condition as her mum Yvonne and stepdad Jimmy travelled over to be with her.

A JustGiving page has been set up to support the family while they are over with Mekala – to donate, visit justgiving.com/crowdfunding/david-martin-125

The decision was taken last Wednesday to move her to a hospital in Singapore to attempt to repair damage to the lung, though doctors warned that the journey could be dangerous.

Mekala arrived safely in Singapore and, temporarily, was taken out of sedation. She is now stable in ICU.

Davie Martin, a close family friend, said: “She opened her eyes, saw Jimmy and Yvonne and gave a big smile, which confirmed she was able to see them.

"As you can imagine, Yvonne just melted.

"They then had to sedate Mekala again so she could undergo more procedures.

"She is still very ill and still dependant on all machines doing all the work for her.

"But there was still more good news to follow: they did a brain scan and are quite confident there is no damage.

"It's still going to be a long haul. The next steps are to concentrate on whether they can repair her lung.

"Jimmy and Yvonne again send all their love and thanks.”