British holidaymaker Russell Stones from Wellington, Telford travelled with his wife Vicky and their two teenage daughters on all inclusive family holiday holiday to Furteventura back in May. Within a couple of days of being there the whole family fell ill, and Russell managed to rupture his oesophagus due to chronic vomiting. He was flown by air ambulance to the Insular Hospital in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria for a life saving operation to repair it. Thanks to the excellent surgical team that cared for him, he survived the four hour operation and was fitted with a stoma bag, to collect waste from an opening on the front of his abdomen.
Six weeks later he remains in the Intensive care unit on Gran Canaria. Once he is fit enough to fly the hospital would like to fly him back to the UK, to receive further treatment in his home country
Due to, what the family describe as, an unforeseen clerical error by their holiday provider, they do not have sufficient insurance to cover the trip, through no fault of their own. The doctors say that Russell is now ready to be repatriated back to the U.K.
Without the backing of an insurance policy this will come at a huge cost, as he will need an air ambulance, with an in flight doctor and a mobile respirator, as well as door to door medical assistance.
The British consulate have been doing what they can to help the situation, and Betty Burgess of the British club has been attending regularly to assist with translations and other administrative support. Russell is now pleading for help to reunite him with his family and give him the chance to continue recovering in the U.K.
A Just Giving page has already collected more than a third of the money needed, but there is still a way to go. Any donation big or small would be hugely appreciated.
