SEARCHING for a way to fly his hospitalised mother home from Spain, a concerned son has launched a crowdfunding campaign to meet the costs of repatriation.
Lesley Dale, from Crowthorne is currently being treated in a University Hospital in Malaga, for viral meningitis.
The 56-year-old was on the flight to visit her friend when — unbeknown to her — she began to experience symptoms of meningitis.
Her son, Kris said: “My mum has a long catalogue of illnesses which are managed.
“On the day of her flight she had what we call ‘fluffy brain’, but she seemed fine.”
He alleges: “We aren’t clear on what happened exactly, but by the time she arrived in Malaga, she was being wheeled off in a chair. She was then left in the wheelchair, alone in the arrivals hall.”
Kris told The Wokingham Paper that his mother didn’t book any additional assistance on her flight, as it’s not something she usually needs.
“She was meant to be meeting her friend in the car park, but when she didn’t arrive, her friend got worried and rang her.
“Mum thought she was still in Gatwick airport. She was found by a cleaning lady in the toilets with her stuff all over the floor.
“We don’t know how she got there and she doesn’t know either.”
Miss Dale was then taken to a hospital in Malaga, but her family have condemned the care she has received.
“She was left on a gurney in the corridor. It’s like a third world hospital.
“If you can’t speak Spanish, they don’t care. In Spain, it’s up to the families to do the feeding and bathing of patients. It’s horrendous.”
Miss Dale suffers from Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), a disorder of the immune system that causes an increased risk of blood clots.
The autoimmune condition can lead to blood clots in the brain — a cause of concern for her family, who know she must take regular medication to manage symptoms.
“We need to get her home to Guy’s & St Thomas’ — the specialist London hospital that knows about all her medical needs.”
Due to her ongoing illnesses, Miss Dale does not have travel insurance. This means her family are left with the £21,000 bill to fly their mother home.
As of Monday, February 3, Miss Dale has been given the okay to fly. Her family are now desperately pulling everything together to organise a medical evacuation — however they are struggling against a language barrier.
They have been left with no other choice but to pool together credit cards in the hopes of meeting the £21,000 cost.
They are hoping to fundraise the costs, but have only reached £4,755 of their target to date.
Their GoFundMe can be viewed here: gf.me/v/c/qkgw/getting-my-mum-home
