Thomas Markle “fighting for his life” in hospital – family makes heartbreaking plea to Meghan

Thomas Markle, Meghan’s estranged 81-year-old father, is currently in intensive care in a hospital in the Philippines after a terrifying medical crisis that almost cost him his life.

The drama started on December 2 when Thomas suddenly collapsed at the home he shares with his son, Thomas Markle Jr. What began as severe pain in his leg quickly turned into a life-or-death situation.

According to Thomas Jr., his dad’s foot first went blue, then black within hours. Doctors discovered a massive blood clot and warned that without immediate surgery he wouldn’t survive.

“I rushed him to the nearest hospital and they told us straight away his life was in danger,” Thomas Jr. told the Daily Mail. “We were blue-lighted to a bigger hospital downtown. He was in theatre for three hours and now he’s in ICU.”

Doctors were forced to perform emergency surgery to try to save the leg, and at one stage amputation was seriously discussed.

Through his son, Thomas Sr. sent one simple, heartbreaking request to Meghan: “My only wish is that Meghan shows my father some compassion. He is literally fighting for his life.”

The former Hollywood lighting director has had almost no contact with his youngest daughter since the explosive fallout just days before her 2018 wedding to Prince Harry. The scandal over staged paparazzi photos, combined with two heart attacks at the time, meant Thomas missed walking Meghan down the aisle (King Charles stepped in instead).

Earlier this year, father and son quietly moved to the Philippines hoping for a quieter life away from constant headlines about the Sussexes.

“Every single day there was another story about Meghan and Harry,” Thomas Sr. told the Mail on Sunday a few months ago. “It was a daily reminder that my own daughter won’t speak to me. I still don’t understand why she ghosts me. All I want before I die is to meet my grandchildren.”

After days of speculation online about whether Meghan would reach out, a spokesperson for the Duchess finally confirmed to PEOPLE magazine late last night:

“I can confirm she has reached out to her father.”

No further details have been given about the nature of the contact or whether Meghan plans to fly to the Philippines.

Everyone close to the family is now hoping the health scare might finally heal the years-long rift.