British mum fighting for life in Spanish hospital with family facing £30,000 bill
A British mum-of-four is fighting for her life in a Spanish hospital, leaving her desperate family having to plead for help to pay her £30,000 medical bill.
Tracey Ellis, 56, from Newcastle upon Tyne, fell ill last month during a solo trip away to Tenerife.
After being brought to her hands and knees by sharp stomach pains, she was taken to an emergency clinic and diagnosed with acute pancreatitis.
She was later placed in an induced coma on life support when her condition worsened and the infection on her pancreas started spreading to other organs.
Now her family is pleading for help to cover her medical bill after her travel insurance firm refused to cover it because she was moved to a private hospital.
Relatives claim they didn’t even know she was in the hospital until she called her children on June 24 to say she was feeling better.
But she revealed how frightened she was and said she was being charged £5,000 by the hospital due to her not being able to sort out her travel insurance claim yet.
On June 25, son Grant told her that he and brother Curtis would be flying out and she replied to their text.
That was the last time they heard from their mum until they arrived at the hospital and found their mum in an induced coma on life-support.
They had to make the distressing call to their other siblings urging them to fly out immediately as the next 48 hours would be critical.
After this devastating news, Tracey’s family say they were then asked to pay a further £10,000 deposit, or they’d have to transfer her to another hospital.
Connor, 29, Tracey’s eldest son, said: ‘We were petrified to move mam in the critical state she was in. All we wanted to do was to be with her and not focus on the cost involved.’
Tracey then had to be transferred to a state hospital due to the ongoing demands for money and began receiving further treatment there.
The family is now trying to arrange travel home if or when her condition improves. The outstanding medical bills have now risen to £30,000.
The family have set up a GoFundMe page.
They wrote on the page: ‘Our ultimate goal is to get her fit and well and able to return to the UK.
‘It’s still a horrible waiting game at the moment but we will also need to fund her transport home if/when our mam’s condition improves and pay the outstanding bill for her medical costs.’
Daughter Amy, 20, added: ‘We have all been overwhelmed by everyone’s kindness. All we want to do is focus on my mam’s recovery.
‘She’s the strongest, bravest and kind-hearted mam. If anyone can please help us we’ll be eternally grateful.’
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