Coma girl’s parents warn ‘take out travel insurance’
The mum and dad of a 24-year-old left in a critical condition after a freak accident on holiday are warning other parents to make sure family members take out travel insurance.
Laurie Jay Balfour (pictured) was just two days into a holiday with friends in Zante when a 15-stone nitrogen gas canister fell on her head at a bar on August 3. Friends described the aftermath as ‘like a murder scene’.
Laurie, of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, was airlifted to hospital in Athens where she underwent emergency brain surgery and was put in an induced coma. On Thursday doctors took her off sedation and she is showing slight movement.
Medical bills are being covered, as Laurie had taken out travel insurance and carried a European Health Insurance Card E111.
Parents Deana and Philip said the accident underlines the importance of insurance.
They said: "Luckily our daughter had travel insurance as the hospital costs were €20,000 and if she had not had a European E111 card they would have been €37,000.
"As parents we all know that our children are so precious to us and their safety is paramount.
"I can’t stress this enough…But as parents try to have an input on where they travel and make sure they have travel insurance."
Describing their daughter’s injuries, they said: "She has a severe baseline fracture of the skull with a large haematoma and a swollen brain. They had to insert a shunt into her head to drain fluid and give her a craniotomy which involved removing part of her skull to relieve the pressure inside her skull due to her brain swelling.
"She also had to have a tracheotomy which involved making an incision in her throat as they cannot leave her breathing pipes in her mouth for more than 15 days as this can cause infection.
"Our daughter had to be moved to a private hospital on 13th August so they could embolise a fistula on her right carotid artery in her brain. This procedure took over five hours and was successful."
Reality star Gary Beadle from Geordie Shore and comedian Dapper Laughs have donated to a fundraising appeal to pay for on-going care for Laurie.
Beadle, known as Gaz in the TV show, has offered to pay for accommodation for Laurie’s parents while they are in Greece.
Lisa
Lisa joined Travel Weekly nearly 25 years ago as technology reporter and then sailed around the world for a couple of years as cruise correspondent, before becoming deputy editor. Now freelance, Lisa writes for various print and web publications, edits Corporate Traveller’s client magazine, Gateway, and works on the acclaimed Remembering Wildlife series of photography books, which raise awareness of nature’s most at-risk species and helps to fund their protection.
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