THE family of a grandmother who ended up in an induced coma after falling off a mobility scooter while on holiday in Turkey have appealed for help after being told her travel insurance is invalid.
Linda Bateson went on holiday to with her granddaughter and daughter and in June.
They were having a lovely holiday but on one of the final days, June 10, the trio went out for a meal and Linda, from Parr, fell off her scooter, resulting in six compression fractures in her back.
Granddaughter Elisha Thompson, 24, said: "It's just been awful. Despite our best efforts to handle this situation privately, we are now at a point where we have no choice but to ask for help.
"After she fell we managed with her but on June 12 she was taken to hospital and diagnosed with the fractures and then transferred to a hospital three hours away in Antalya, incurring significant expenses for ambulance and taxi services.
"While there she developed pneumonia and a fungal infection in her lungs leading to her ending up in a medically induced coma and intubated.
"My aunty stayed over with her as I had to fly home alone and as I suffer from PTSD due to being at the Manchester bombing, that was really difficult to travel alone. My aunty who has health issues like fibromyalgia has had to manage over there and her partner has had to fly over there to drop off more medication to her."
Elisha added that her family's flight has been compounded by a travel insurance form telling them Linda's cover is not valid.
She said: "We thought the insurance would cover this, it's why you pay for insurance, but then they said that because her high blood pressure wasn't listed correctly as hyper tension and other things - they argue she filled out incorrectly on her form - that we as a family will be liable to pay all or some of her medical bills.
"The air ambulance home alone costs £45,000 and her medical bills since June has got to quite a bit now, though we don't have exact figures.
"We are struggling to navigate the complexities of international healthcare, insurance disputes, and mounting medical bills."
Linda in hospital
The family has set up an online fundraising appeal.
Elisha added: "Anyone who can help we've set up a GoFundMe page and we honestly need any possible help, we just want her home."
For more information on how to donate, go to gofund.me/39d6cc3b
For more information on how to donate, go to gofund.me/39d6cc3b
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