A 'fit and healthy' hospital porter was rushed to intensive care after suddenly collapsing while on holiday in Benidorm.
Lee Stafford, from Hyde in Tameside, travelled to the popular Spanish resort on Saturday, September 17 to celebrate his wife Lisa's 50th birthday. The first few days of the getaway had gone well, until 48-year-old Lee started feeling slightly breathless while out sightseeing.
The couple visited a local pharmacist who thought that he might have been suffering with a chest infection. Then last Friday, the day before the pair were due to fly home, Lee suddenly collapsed at the poolside of their hotel.
He was rushed to intensive care at a private hospital at first, before being transferred to a local community hospital. Scans revealed he had a pulmonary embolism - blocked blood vessels in both of his lungs.
If not treated straight away, the condition can be life-threatening. "When Lee collapsed, if we weren't somewhere where you could get medical help straight away I don't think he'd be here now", Lisa, 50, told the Manchester Evening News .
"There were no signs, it was just his bit of breathlessness, which we thought he was just getting a bit of a chest infection."
The pair said Lee was generally fit and healthy, keeping active in his job at Tameside General Hospital and spending most of the day on his feet. He caught Covid in April and had struggled with breathlessness on occasions since, but had never been diagnosed with long Covid.
Just a few days before he collapsed in Benidorm, the pair noticed he was more out of breath than usual while walking. They went to a local chemist last Wednesday, where Lee was prescribed an inhaler to help with what was believed to be a chest infection.
On the Friday, the pair were by the poolside when Lee frantically told Lisa 'I can't breathe'. He suddenly collapsed at the hotel and staff helped call an ambulance.
"His lips turned blue and his eyes rolled to the back of his head, we thought he was having a heart attack at first", Lisa, a nursery worker, said.
Lee added: "I was hooked straight up to oxygen. It was a scary time because I was having a lot of chest pains, the consultant told me not to worry and that I wasn't having a heart attack.
"The nurse from ICU said it's one of them things that you can't plan for."
Lee was taken to the intensive care unit at a private hospital initially, as the pair had travel insurance in place. But this hospital asked for €3,000 upfront when they arrived, the couple said.
They said that because Lee had been prescribed an inhaler by the pharmacist the day before, that the insurance company and the hospital believed that he had been diagnosed with asthma and had not declared the condition.
"The insurance said they wouldn't help us because I've not declared I've got asthma, I've never been diagnosed with asthma", Lee said. "The last time I had Covid I think I got a blue inhaler then, but it wasn't for asthma he just said it was for helping me breathe when I need it."
The couple are now trying to claim for the healthcare through their insurance company, but will not know whether they will receive any help for up to three weeks. In the meantime, Lee remains in hospital in Benidorm and Lisa is having to pay to stay at the hotel.
They are currently relying on Lee's European Health Insurance Card - also known as an E111 - for him to be able to get state healthcare and want to stress how much this has helped them. "What it means is we can get medical assistance over here, and the British government will pay it back, if the insurance say they're not helping us", Lisa said.
Lee, who has been treated with injections for the pulmonary embolism and has been on oxygen to help with his breathing, will not be able to fly home until he is given the all-clear by doctors. A GoFundMe page has been set up by the pair's family and friends to help with the costs of having to stay in Benidorm, and also with the flights home when they are eventually able to get back.
More than £2,300 has been raised so far. Lee and Lisa said they were 'humbled' by donations from loved ones and work colleagues.
"We didn't expect to get that much money, we've been really humbled with the response", Lisa said. "People have been constantly ringing us and messaging us and trying to keep our spirits, we couldn't say thank you to all our friends and family enough. We've been blown away by it."
"It's nice knowing that loads of people at Tameside General are looking out for me", Lee added. "I see it all through work and it's weird to be on the other side of it now. It's been an eyeopener but I couldn't have done it without Lisa and my daughter at home."
Lee has since had a scan on his heart to check for blood clots which has come back clear. After another scan on his legs and finishing his round of medication, he may be able to fly home in around a week, the pair said.
You can donate to the fundraiser for Lee and Lisa here.
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