Mum in coma in Spain after catching meningitis on holiday | World | News
Jade Bird was hospitalized after falling ill in Tenerife (Image: SWLNspain)
A mother from Wales woke up from a coma in a hospital in Spain after contracting meningitis while on holiday. Jade Bird, 33, a carer from Abergele, was due to fly home from Tenerife last Wednesday but fell critically ill at the airport. The woman, who was hospitalized, stated that doctors discovered an infection in her brain that turned into meningitis.
While the family anxiously awaited developments, his sister-in-law Victoria flew to the island to be with him. Victoria said: “She flew to Tenerife for a holiday with her boyfriend.
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A GoFundMe has been set up to help cover medical evacuation costs (Image: SWLNspain)
“While they were there he was complaining of an earache, then he started getting sick.
“When they got to the airport he couldn’t communicate and was screaming in pain so they took him to hospital.
“When they got there they did a CT scan and realized he had an infection in his brain, so they transferred him to an intensive care unit in the north of Tenerife, put him on a ventilator and he’s been there ever since.
“They later found out it had turned into meningitis and he had been sedated quite heavily for the last two or three days.
“There were concerns about seizures and epilepsy, memory loss, stroke; we still don’t know the full extent of all of that until we’re fully awake.”
After being in a coma for about a week, Jade began to recover and her family described her as “much more alert and aware of her surroundings.”
Ms Bird, who has a young daughter named Skyla, remains in hospital. His family were offered £46,000 for a medical evacuation home despite having appropriate insurance. He will be transferred to the neurological ward for a full evaluation and will need to continue IV antibiotics before going home.
Victoria added: “Me and her mum got on the plane the next morning after we found out.
“At some point me and his mother will reach a stage where we can’t afford to stay here, but how do we get back home?
“The communication isn’t quite there; there’s a language barrier and we only get updates once a day. It’s not something we can grasp right now.”
The family started a GoFundMe to cover Jade’s flight costs home, which has raised £12,000 so far.
Victoria said: “It was really stressful.
“It was truly heartbreaking to tell her daughter that she couldn’t see her mother because she was in the hospital.
“We struggle every day and every day when we go to see him we hope he will be a little more alert.”
The family has a “long road” ahead but they are grateful for the public’s support and are determined to do whatever it takes to bring Jade home safely.
Ms Bird’s sister-in-law added: “We are overwhelmed by all the kindness. People have been so thoughtful and everyone has come together to raise money to take Jade home and we don’t think any words will thank them enough.”
A link to the GoFundMe can be found Here.
