Emma Hickey, 42, is in a medically-induced coma after her family holiday went horribly wrong
A mum is in a critical condition after falling down the stairs at her hotel Tenerife. Emma Hickey was on holiday with her partner and their two children in the Canary Islands.
Emma was on her way to the pharmacy to get treatment for mosquito bites when the 42-year-old carer fell at their hotel in Costa Adeje.
She fell head first on the concrete steps. Her partner Stephen, 44, said the scene was horrific. She suffered a brain haemorrhage and neck fractures.
Her family has now launched a gofundme to help her while she remains in a medically-induced coma in hospital
Stephen, from Dublin said: “We came away for a lovely family holiday and it’s been a living nightmare.”, reports Bristol Live.
“She woke up with a really bad case of mosquito bites so we went to the local doctor and the doctors didn’t know what it was so they sent her to hospital… she wasn’t feeling well but was soldiering through the holiday for the sake of the kids trying to do what she could but she wasn’t herself.”
He said that on June 23, they were on the way to the pharmacy when disaster struck.
“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,” he said.
“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.”
A CT scan in hospital showed a brain haemorrhage that required surgery. Subsequent examinations revealed fractures in her neck, leading to her being placed in an induced coma; she will remain in intensive care until she regains consciousness.
Stephen 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.”
Stephen, who is self-employed, has had to stay in Tenerife with his children, Sophie Hickey, 13, and Bobby Hickey, 7, as they await Emma’s recovery.
Stephen said they faced significant medical and other costs to house and feed them and it wasn’t clear what their insurance covered.
He 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 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 positin to fly home.
“We need to be over here by her side and we don’t want to go anywhere without her.”
He urged people to take out good insurance, saying: “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.”