Latest news with #AlanKirby
BBC News
4 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
Somerset family's travel insurance warning over hospital stay
The family of a man stuck in a Greek hospital with suspected lung cancer say their fight to return him to the UK has been "emotionally destroying", and have warned others not to repeat their Kirby, from Somerset, thought he had insurance cover for a family holiday to Zante, but the policy was declared void because he did not tell his insurers about a pre-existing lung Kirby, who is not on medication and felt well when he left, has been diagnosed with pneumonia and suspected lung cancer, and is receiving care in step-daughter Liza Whitemore said the family are trying to raise £30,000 to pay private hospital fees and to fund an air ambulance transfer home. Mr Kirby's partner Helen Whitemore said they "just want him home" and he is "getting a little bit depressed".Liza Whitemore said: "He's not come out of bed for a month, not walked. He is just waiting and hoping he can come home." She said Mr Kirby, of Marston Magna near Yeovil, knew he had a benign tumour in his chest and declared it to Allianz Insurance, but did not get a fit-to-fly certificate as insurers said it "acted in good faith" and denied the family's claim due to the pre-existing condition. Ms Whitemore said her stepfather fell ill on a holiday the family had taken to celebrate a number of birthdays."He was struggling to breathe, so he went to different clinics for X-rays, scans and tests. We thought 'this is really good, they're onto it'," she once they reached a hospital to pick up some antibiotics, Ms Whitemore said they were shocked to be told "antibiotics won't cure cancer" and that Mr Kirby was going to die. "Obviously, there's a big communication barrier," she said."But it was so scary, my poor mum, bless her. She didn't know anything of what was going on," Ms Whitemore said Allianz agreed to fly her stepfather to a general hospital in Athens but would not cover the cost of an air ambulance back to Yeovil. The family warned British holidaymakers to ensure they travel with their European Health Insurance Cards and up-to-date-insurance documents, to avoid a scenario like Whitemore said: "We should have done it differently - we didn't. "We're paying the price and we don't want it to happen to anyone else. "You're left on your own out there."Allianz said it sympathised with Mr Kirby but was unable to pay out due to the nature of the pre-existing condition.
Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mirror
Grandad stuck in holiday destination as dream Greece trip takes nightmare turn
Alan Kirby, 67, a car valeter, from Marston Magna, Somerset, thought the pain in his side at dinner was from throwing his stepdaughter's children around in the sea in Zante A British holidaymaker is trapped in Greece on a ventilator, facing a £14,000 hospital bill due to an error with his travel insurance. Alan Kirby, 67, a car valet from Marston Magna, Somerset, initially believed the pain in his side was a result of playing with his stepdaughter's children in the sea in Zante. However, when he woke up struggling for breath, he sought medical advice and doctors recommended he return to the UK for a biopsy on a lung mass they feared could be cancerous. Before Alan could return home, his health worsened and he was placed on a ventilator, preventing him from taking a commercial flight back to the UK. He was subsequently airlifted to a private hospital in Athens. Alan's health battles come as travel experts Brits to claim a card that delivers free healthcare in 34 different countries. Have you had a holiday go wrong? If you'd like to tell your story, email webtravel@ Hospital officials contacted Alan's insurance company, which revealed that the Brit was aware of the mass - something he claims British doctors had identified as benign fatty tissue and told him not to worry about. This classified it as a pre-existing medical condition, which he had not declared to his insurers, thus invalidating his cover and leaving the family with a £14,000 bill. Alan is currently on a ventilator in a hospital covered by his Global Health Insurance Card, and is too ill to fly home on a standard flight. However, he lacks the insurance to cover a £45,000 private medical flight home. His family are uncertain if he has cancer, or if his symptoms are due to pneumonia, which he is now fighting. His distraught family are fundraising to cover the cost of the ambulance flight home, and are speaking out to raise awareness of potential holiday insurance mistakes. Alan's stepdaughter Liza Whitemore, 40, a private care assistant from Wincanton, Somerset, said: "We know we've made the mistake [with the insurance] - that's the problem. "My mum had gone into the bank that she had insurance with and they said, 'just go on holiday, you don't have to do anything'. They didn't know about the mass. And he was well before - he was working as a car valeter the day before the holiday. "He's still on a ventilator. There's a talk about him going into a coma, but we don't know if it's cancer or pneumonia doing the damage. He's fine, then he's not, he's fine then he's not. He's really breathless - on the phone he can't say more than a few sentences. We're just desperate to get him home." Alan was three days into his break with his partner Helen Whitemore, 62, Liza and her three daughters, when he became unwell on July 5. He appeared "dreadful, grey and pale" during a family meal in Tsilivi, so returned to the hotel. "At dinner he had aching pain all down the right side of his torso. He thought it was from throwing my kids while playing in the sea earlier in the day," Liza continued. He awoke feeling breathless and visited a local clinic in the morning, and after thorough testing was transferred to a nearby hospital. The pair say they believed he had a chest infection and required antibiotics. "But the doctor, who must have had the clinic's test results, said, 'antibiotics won't cure cancer'," said Liza. "Everyone was petrified, nobody knew what was going on. After five hours, they told my mum she needed to go back to England for a biopsy, because they couldn't tell from the X-ray if Alan had cancer." The hospital had discovered a growth in Alan's right lung, which he was already aware of, but claims British medics had informed him was a harmless fatty tissue mass in December 2024. Two days later Alan was "fitting" in his hospital bed, confused and dehydrated with oxygen levels of just 36%. "They placed him on a non-invasive ventilator and there was discussion that evening of putting him in a coma but then they said he might not wake up because of his lungs," said Liza. The insurance firm agreed to transport Alan to a private hospital in Athens via a helicopter ambulance. He was unable to fly to the UK because it was too lengthy a journey and he was required to stay on a ventilator. However, when Alan reached Athens, the insurance company contacted Lisa to say they were examining Alan's pre-existing conditions. The investigations took five days and the insurance company requested Alan's UK GP records - and uncovered Alan's 'pre-existing condition', the growth in his lung. Now, the insurance company has informed Alan's family they will cover Alan's care up until the investigations began - five days of private hospital care costing £14,000. Alan was transferred to Athens' General Hospital, where his care is covered by his GHIC card, and he continues to receive treatment with a ventilator and antibiotics. Back in Somerset, Alan's family are now striving to raise the £45,000 needed to bring him home via air ambulance.
