A British couple are facing a staggering £45,000 bill after their baby was born 16 weeks early during their trip to Cyprus.
Jan and Bethany Cleathero were not expecting to meet their daughter Molly for another four months when she arrived on the last day of their Mediterranean holiday.
Jan says he was "petrified" they were both going to die as he watched medics rush his wife to hospital and deliver their premature baby.
The family are now back in the UK and have managed to raise £28,000 through a GoFundMe fundraiser.
But they still need to reach their £45,000 target to cover the costs of the air ambulance flight home.
Molly, who was in an incubator, arrived by medical plane at Exeter airport and was immediately transferred by ambulance to Plymouth's Derriford Hospital for further treatment.
She had needed neonatal treatment in Cyprus where the medical bills were around £860 per day.
Dad Jan said: "There were complications at the time as the umbilical cord was over her head, so they tried to keep the baby in for a bit longer.
"My wife has already had two C-sections before and they were essentially trying to get her to give birth naturally, I was then petrified that they would both die."
After a stressful birth, Jan said mum and baby were kept in different hospitals an hour apart and that he was only allowed by Bethany's bedside for 45 minutes before he was 'kicked out' due to Covid restrictions.
He then flew back to their home in Cullompton, Devon, with their two other children who are aged eight and three.
While Bethany was only allowed to visit her daughter for an hour a day and had little time to bond with her.
The mum had been considered fit to fly away on holiday and her family thought their insurance cover was adequate.
She said: "Emotionally we need to get her home. My two other children are really struggling now.
"They want to know where their mum is, they want to know where their baby sister is.
"We called her Molly because she just looked like a dolly. She has the tiniest fingers and toes and nails, her hand is the size of my thumb nail."
Jan said Bethany is "still quite poorly and fighting off infections and trying to stay strong".
He said their insurance did not cover the cost of getting Molly home and they had been worried she may have to stay in hospital in Cyprus for up to four months - with a total bill of £100,000.
Jan said: "It's the generosity of others that has got me out of bed in the morning and driving me and Bethany forward to ensure we will bring Molly home."
