November 1st 2024.
Barbara Wilkinson, a 68-year-old grandmother, was looking forward to a relaxing holiday in Corfu with her granddaughter, Tamara, and close friend, Carol. However, their trip took a sudden turn when Barbara fell ill on the plane ride from East Midlands Airport on October 14.
As the flight took off, Barbara started coughing and then fell into a comatose state. The plane had to make an emergency landing in Croatia, where Barbara was immediately taken to the hospital by ambulance. She has been stuck in the country for over two weeks now, thousands of miles away from home.
Initially, it was suspected that Barbara had suffered a stroke. She was placed in the recovery position in the aisle of the plane until they landed. However, after a CT scan at Zadar General Hospital, doctors discovered that Barbara had a life-threatening brain aneurysm. She was then transferred to University Hospital Centre Zagreb for emergency surgery and has been in a coma ever since.
Unfortunately, Barbara's travel insurance does not cover the cost of flying her back to the UK. This has left her granddaughter, Destiny Jordan, with the daunting task of raising £35,000 to bring her beloved grandmother home. Destiny, who works as a customer service advisor, shared with MailOnline that Barbara had boarded the flight with her sister and close friend, and everything seemed fine until she took a nap.
"At some point during the flight, my sister gave her a sweet and she started coughing," Destiny explained. "They thought she might have been choking on the sweet at first. When my sister looked over to her, she was coughing with her eyes open, and they got worried." Barbara then went back to sleep but woke up again and started coughing with her eyes open. "She went back to sleep a third time, but then my sister tried to wake her up and she wouldn't wake up," Destiny added.
The flight attendant informed the pilot, and the plane made an emergency landing in Croatia. Barbara was immediately taken to the hospital, where it was discovered that she had a ruptured aneurysm, which was life-threatening. She underwent emergency surgery and was then moved to another hospital.
Destiny shared that she was at work when she found out about her grandmother's condition. She had a panic attack and was in tears right away. "I just wanted to get my grandma home, and I did worry that she was going to die," she added. Destiny also mentioned that they assume the aneurysm was already present, and the pressure in the cabin caused it to rupture.
After the emergency surgery, doctors tried to bring Barbara out of her coma, which was initially successful. However, she struggled to breathe on her own, and they had to perform a tracheostomy and put her back under sedation. Destiny shared that Barbara's insurance would not cover the cost of flying her back to the UK because she had forgotten to mention some medication on her form.
Once Barbara wakes up, doctors have warned that she could be left with severe disabilities and require 24-hour care, which would be a significant struggle for someone who loves to travel and spend time with loved ones. "It was terrible when we found out we would have to try and get her home on our own," Destiny shared. "It would mean the absolute world to have her home for the whole family. She means the world to us, and she is the most amazing grandma in the world. She raised me."
To help bring Barbara back home, Destiny has set up a GoFundMe page, and any donations would be greatly appreciated. Barbara's family hopes to have her back home soon, where she can receive the care and love she needs from her family and friends.
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