A man has been left trapped abroad after suffering a stroke in Spain with his family being unable to afford his transport back home to the UK.
Alan Cartwright, 69, from Aberystwyth, had long enjoyed travelling to and from Spain in his retirement.
He travelled out late Autumn to Granada but suffered a severe stroke on October 31st when he was out walking his dog and was hospitalised.
The Windsor-born musician received life-saving surgery inside the hospital but has been trapped there ever since.
The cost to fly the immobile 69-year-old back would stretch into the tens of thousands, forcing family and friends to fundraise just to bring Alan home.
But as he's been stuck there so long, they are worried the lack of rehabilitation could have long term impacts on him going forward.
After the stroke he was left unable to walk or talk, but his ex-wife, Alison Sellars, 63, from Malvern and his son Bryn, 41, from Worcester, were able to get out to visit in November.
Alison said: “We both went out there in November and visited him every day, but his stroke is so severe that he cannot speak.
“I think he could understand mostly what we said to him though and responded a bit.
“It will be a complete nightmare for him to be in hospital and not be able to move around, sing, walk and speak.
“He hasn't had a visitor now for over a month.
"He has been in hospital now for 3 months and desperately needs rehabilitation in England."
Alison recalled how she was at home when she had a phone call from a close friend who had once lived in Spain telling her that Alan had had a stroke and was in hospital.
Instead of panicking, her mind immediately went to how Alison and her son could get out to see him.
She added: “He had had a heart attack five years ago, so it wasn’t entirely a surprise.
“My mind immediately just went into arrangements to get myself and our son out there as soon as possible.”
They arrived three days after the stroke to be with him, and have relied on a friend, Suzanne Tuloch, to communicate with the hospital as she speaks Spanish.
Alison has been left terrified for Alan’s future, previously a very active and musical man who sang, played music and would often “walk for miles”.
Then, just as Alan was making an encouraging recovery from surgery he caught Covid within the hospital.
The deadly virus left him with respiratory problems, further worsening his condition, but he avoided the worst of it.
However, it left him in isolation at the hospital at the time, without visitors for over a month.
Now, his family and friends are desperate to return him to the UK so he can begin his rehabilitation from the stroke.
Even though he’s now out of isolation, he is yet to begin rehabilitation as he has been stranded abroad.
Alan’s friends and family are trying to fundraise £12,000 to bring him back to the Worcestershire Royal Hospital through their GoFundMe .
They’ve raised almost half the needed amount but as things stand, Alan will be stranded abroad for a bit longer.
