Mother left fighting for life after Tenerife hotel accident caused by mosquito bite
Emma Hickey and her partner Stephen Brougham took their two children to Costa Adeje, Tenerife, Spain, on June 13th for a sun-soaked 12-day getaway.
But just 10 days into the trip, the mother-of-two woke up with a 'really bad case' of mosquito bites so went to hospital and was prescribed injections.
Despite feeling unwell for the next few days the 42-year-old carer 'soldiered through the holiday' for the sake of her family.
But as they walked down the hotel staircase on their way to a pharmacy on June 23, Ms Hickey complained of feeling dizzy before suddenly collapsing and falling head-first onto a concrete step.
Mr Brougham, 44, says it was 'horrific' to watch his partner convulsing on the concrete steps after passing out and she was immediately rushed to hospital.
A hospital CT scan revealed she had a brain bleed and neck fractures so she was put in an induced coma.
Now a friend of the family has set up a GoFundMe page to support plasterer Mr Brougham and the two children, aged seven and 13, while they are stranded in Tenerife waiting for Ms Hickey to recover.
He says it could be 'a very long time' until his partner is well enough to fly home and he is unsure if the travel insurance will cover the soaring medical costs.
Mr Brougham, from Dublin, Ireland, said: 'We came away for a lovely family holiday and it's been a living nightmare.
'She was feeling a bit dizzy and she collapsed and fell from the second last step of the upper staircase down below onto the other set of stairs head-first without raising her arm to protect herself.
'She passed out on the steps and started convulsing, she was in a terrible state.
'It's been horrific because I actually witnessed the fall and how bad the fall was. That's a mental scar that I'll never forget. Words can't describe how bad it is.'
Mr Brougham called an ambulance, which rushed his partner to hospital and a CT scan revealed she had suffered a brain bleed and needed an operation.
Doctors discovered some fractures in her neck and she was then put in an induced coma and will remain in intensive care until she wakes up.
Mr Brougham said: 'They did an operation and there were blood clots on the brain that had been putting some pressure on the brain.
'They're not saying what impact the pressure on the brain of the blood clot will have after she comes round.
'There could be secondary issues there so in the meantime she's just been on the machine.
Mr Brougham, who is self-employed, and is searching for alternative accommodation for him and children Sophie Hickey, 13, and Bobby Hickey, seven
'She hasn't felt well all week so we can only presume that the mosquito bites, the medication, the heat and the fact she tried to soldier through the holiday just for the sake of the kids [caused it].
'They were draining the life out of her and they're all over her body, dozens and dozens.
'They looked uncomfortable and you could see that they were sore. They turned into bruises. I can only connect the two.'
Mr Brougham, who is self-employed, and is searching for alternative accommodation for him and children Sophie Hickey, 13, and Bobby Hickey, seven.
He is hoping the travel insurance will help the rising medical costs after reviewing her medical records.
Mr Brougham said: 'We have got health insurance but at the moment they're making us jump a few hoops just before they commit to whether they're covering us or not.
'We know that hospital is $1,400 a day so we're going to have a significant medical bill.
'The hotel we're staying in at the moment is an expensive hotel. Then just feeding the kids and keeping them occupied. I'm not working now because I'm over here.
'The support has been overwhelming and incredible. We're lucky to have friends and family like that.
'[The fundraiser] is very important because it's going to be a long process. We don't know how long yet. It could be a very long time that we're over here with her until she's in a position to fly home.
'We need to be over here by her side and we don't want to go anywhere without her.'
He's now encouraging others to ensure they get travel insurance and to be aware of the dangers of insects abroad.
Mr Brougham said: 'It's not something we ever considered how bad a bite could be. It's amazing how much pain a little tiny insect can have on you.
'We wouldn't have considered [repellent]. We weren't aware of the mosquito bites.
'We go away all the time and it's not something to be worried about. You definitely need to be aware what sort of effect these insects can have on you.
'It's important to have travel insurance. The hospital won't do much if you haven't got it. Try to get a good policy.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
10 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Wife screamed five horrendous words as husband sucked into MRI machine
Adrienne Jones-McAllister looked on in horror as her beloved husband Keith was pulled into the machine by his necklace. Tragically, he later died from his serious injuries A grieving widow recalled the moment she watched in horror as her husband was sucked into an MRI machine in New York. Keith McAllister, 61, was critically injured when he was pulled into the machine by his necklace at Nassau Open MRI in Westbury, Long Island, in July. He died from his injuries, Nassau County police confirmed. His wife Adrienne Jones-McAllister spoke about the devastating incident, revealing she had undergone an an MRI on her knee and needed help getting up, so she asked if her husband could be sent in to help her. It comes after a man claims 'I died for seven minutes in hospital - here's exactly what I saw on the other side'. When undergoing an MRI scan, patients and all other people in the room are asked to remove all jewellery and piercings because the machine generates strong magnetic fields. However, Ms Jones-McAllister said her husband was allowed her husband to enter the room even though he was wearing a 20-pound weight-training chain. Sharing her horrifying account of the incident, she told News 12 Long Island that she saw her husband walk toward the table and the machine "snatch him" immediately. When he got close to her, she said, "at that instant, the machine switched him around, pulled him in and he hit the MRI." As tears ran down her face, she recalled: "I said: 'Could you turn off the machine, call 911, do something." Revealing the five words she screamed were, 'Turn this damn thing off!', she added: "He went limp in my arms, and this is still pulsating in my brain." The heartbroken woman said the technician helped her try to pull her husband off the machine but it was impossible. "He waved goodbye to me and then his whole body went limp," she told the TV outlet. Her husband suffered several heart attacks after being freed from the machine and later died. Ms Jones-McAllister claimed it wasn't the first time she and her husband had been at Nassau Open MRI, and said he had worn his chain there before. "That was not the first time that guy has seen that chain," she said. "They had a conversation about it before." In the wake of Mr McAllister's death, his daughter Samantha Bodden shared further details about the tragedy. In the GoFundMe page set up to support the family with burial costs, she wrote: "While my mother was laying on the table, the technician left the room to get her husband to help her off the table. He forgot to inform him to take the chain he was wearing from around his neck off when the magnet sucked him in. "My mother and the tech tried for several minutes to release him before the police were called. He was attached to the machine for almost an hour before they could release the chain from the machine." She then clarified: "Several news stations are saying he wasn't authorized to be in the room when in fact he was because the technician went and brought him into the room." Paying tribute to her dad, Samantha added: "Keith was a husband, a father, a stepfather, a grandfather, a brother, and an uncle. He was a friend to many. He was on a fixed income from social security and didn't have much. So at this time, my mother is asking for help with expenses to help bury him." MRI, or Magnetic Resonance Imaging, is a non-invasive medical imaging technique that uses powerful magnets and radio waves to produce detailed images of the body's internal structures. The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering warns that the magnetic field generated by an MRI is strong enough to pull ferromagnetic objects with deadly force. "Very powerful forces are exerted on objects made of iron, some steels, and other magnetic materials," it says, noting the field can be "strong enough to fling a wheelchair across the room". MRI-related accidents are rare but can prove fatal when they do occur and this is not the first such incident in New York. In 2001, six-year-old Michael Colombini was killed at the Westchester Medical Centre when an oxygen tank was pulled into an MRI chamber by the machine's 10-ton electromagnet.
Metro
21 hours ago
- Metro
British woman trapped in US due to insurance after 'life-changing' fall
A British woman who suffered 'life-changing' injuries during a hiking fall in the US has now fallen victim to insurance and is trapped abroad as a result. Charlotte Hollins Anderton, from Abergele, north Wales, plummeted 30ft while celebrating Independence Day with children from the summer camp she works in. The 23-year-old endured an eight-hour wait to be rescued – with a fractured spine, two shattered feet and internal bleeding. She required numerous operations, intensive care treatment and on top of it, emotional trauma from the incident, which took place on July 4. If her suffering was not enough, her family now say her insurance coverage has been turned down. This means Charlotte now faces a bill of £45,000 to bring her back home to the UK. A GoFundMe page has been set up to assist in repatriating her and so far, more than £16,000 have been raised. A statement on the website reads: 'Our beautiful Charlotte was tragically involved in a life changing accident whilst working as a camp leader this summer.' 'She has suffered a life threatening fall on July 4 and has been hospitalised since. 'Her fall resulted in spinal and foot fractures requiring multiple surgeries, internal bleeding and admission to the intensive care unit. 'She is also dealing with intense emotional trauma from the fall, and it breaks our hearts that we can't be there to help. 'But on top of all of the unimaginable pain and suffering, while we have been deciding what to do as a family, we were just hit with another worry that her insurance company will not be covering the cost of repatriation from America to back home. 'She urgently needs to come home for her to access specialist care via the NHS and continue her recovery with family by her side.' The family explained that they never thought they would find themselves in such a situation, but all they want 'is to have Charlotte home'. More Trending The statement added: 'We will be keeping everyone updated every step of the way, and thank you all so much already for your kind words, promises of donations and support. 'It means more to us than you could imagine. Thank you so much.' Charlotte – a University of York St John graduate from a Professional Policing course – spent last summer at YMCA Camp Seymour in Gig Harbor, Washington. She had returned as a camp leader for a second year in a row when the fall took place. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: World's first gonorrhea vaccination programme to be rolled out in England MORE: British man killed after hair transplant in Turkey was 'inspiring teacher' MORE: Paralysed mum 'stuck in hell' after hospital staff 'refused to wash her'
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
Child is rushed to hospital 'after falling from height' in Dagenham
A five-year old boy has been rushed to hospital after 'falling from a height' in Dagenham this afternoon. Paramedics rushed to the scene near Dagenham Headway Tube station in east London at 2.31pm. The child is understood to have fallen from a height and was taken to a major trauma centre following the incident.
