Health

Holidaying mother is fighting for her life with pneumonia in a Tenerife hospital


A British woman is stranded in a hospital in Tenerife fighting for her life after developing pneumonia while on holiday.

Elaine Ruddick, 57, was taken to hospital on Friday, April 19, after falling ill with a viral illness which has worsened and left her in intensive care.

After suffering a stroke in 2015, Mrs Ruddick’s health had improved but she ended up in hospital just three days into a holiday with her husband.

Charlie, 62, said he doesn’t know whether his wife will survive, and friends back home have set up a fundraiser to help him stay by her side.

Mr Ruddick said the couple’s insurance company has refused to pay out because of a ‘technicality’.

Elaine Ruddick was taken into intensive care in a Spanish hospital after developing pneumonia following an illness with a viral infection (Pictured: Mrs Ruddick in hospital with her husband, Charlie, by her side)

Elaine Ruddick was taken into intensive care in a Spanish hospital after developing pneumonia following an illness with a viral infection (Pictured: Mrs Ruddick in hospital with her husband, Charlie, by her side)

‘This is the closest I have ever come to losing my wife in 37 years of marriage,’ Mr Ruddick told The Sun.

‘I have never cried so much in all my life. It has been touch and go for over a week. She’s still very critical, but thankfully getting a little bit more stable.

‘It’s almost unbearable for me to see the pain in her face, but I have to be strong to tell her it will be okay. Honestly though, I don’t know if she is going to live or not.

‘I feel so emotionally drained. This holiday has turned out to be a complete nightmare.’

Mrs Ruddick is currently in intensive care in a hospital in Santa Cruz on the holiday island. 

Her condition is improving and she can open her eyes but is still critically ill, Mr Ruddick said.  

He retired from work to be a full-time carer for his wife after she became partly paralysed as a result of her stroke four years ago. 

A fundraiser set up to help the couple, from Milton Keynes, with medical bills has raised £2,000 so far, but their costs are already believed to be around £7,500. 

Mr Ruddick claims the insurance company StaySure has refused to pay out because of a chest infection, which may have been bronchitis, his wife suffered from last year.

Mr Ruddick said he disclosed his wife’s serious medical conditions on the insurance form, including her stroke, high blood pressure and cholesterol.

‘I put everything down that I thought was important,’ he told MailOnline. 

‘The company is meant to specialise in over-50s. After she became ill they asked for a three-year medical history and have pulled out something from last year.

‘They want to get out of their financial obligations.’ 

Mr Ruddick said they paid around £160 for the cover for both of them for a 10-day holiday.

A StaySure spokesperson said: ‘As with any travel insurance policy, it is essential that the policy holder updates the insurer of any new medical conditions or diagnoses. 

‘In this instance, Mrs Ruddick failed to declare several medical conditions, including the lung condition emphysema, the presence of which dramatically increases her chances of contracting pneumonia. This has rendered their policy invalid.

‘We sympathise with the family about the difficult situation they’re facing, and, as a gesture of goodwill, we’re working closely with them to support with Mrs Ruddick’s repatriation to the UK.’

Mrs Ruddick first became ill earlier this month with a viral infection, which doctors haven’t named, but quickly developed pneumonia.

Mrs Ruddick had been on holiday with her husband, Charlie, for three days before she became ill. Mr Ruddick said the couple's insurance has refused to pay out because of a 'technicality'

Mrs Ruddick had been on holiday with her husband, Charlie, for three days before she became ill. Mr Ruddick said the couple’s insurance has refused to pay out because of a ‘technicality’

Mrs Ruddick was left partly paralysed by a stroke she had in 2015 and her husband has given up work to care for her

Mrs Ruddick was left partly paralysed by a stroke she had in 2015 and her husband has given up work to care for her

Mr Ruddick, who has had to pay to stay longer than intended in Tenerife so he can be by his wife's side, said: 'It's almost unbearable for me to see the pain in her face, but I have to be strong to tell her it will be okay'

Mr Ruddick, who has had to pay to stay longer than intended in Tenerife so he can be by his wife’s side, said: ‘It’s almost unbearable for me to see the pain in her face, but I have to be strong to tell her it will be okay’

Pneumonia is a condition which causes swelling in the lungs’ airways and leads to fluid building up in tiny sacs which are supposed to fill with air when you breathe.

The symptoms are triggered by infection and can develop quickly, within a day or two, leaving patients coughing, struggling to breathe and feverish.

Around eight in 1,000 people develop pneumonia each year in the UK. It can be deadly among elderly people or those with weak immune systems.

Mrs Ruddick is being treated in a university hospital in Santa Cruz, and the couple have now been in the country for two weeks. 

They were supposed to fly home on April 26, but Mr Ruddick has since flown their son out to join them and has to pay for hotels to continue to be near his wife.

He is only allowed to visit for an hour-and-a-half per day while she is in intensive care and said it could be three weeks or more before before she is allowed to fly home.

To donate to the fundraiser for Elaine Ruddick visit the GoFundMe page.

MailOnline has contacted StaySure for comment on the case. 

WHAT IS PNEUMONIA?

Pneumonia is a type of chest infection that affects the tiny air sacs in the lungs. 

The condition causes these sacs to be become inflammed and fill with fluid, making it harder to breathe.

Pneumonia is caused by bacteria or viruses, with the most common being Streptococcus pneumoniae. 

It affects between five and 11 out of every 1,000 adults every year in the UK. 

Anyone can suffer from pneumonia, however, at-risk groups include:

  • Babies and young children
  • People over 65
  • Those with long-term heart, lung or kidney disease
  • People with cancer, particularly those having chemotherapy
  • Smokers
  • Those on drugs that suppress their immune systems

Antibiotics or mechanical ventilator use in hospitals also raise the risk. 

Symptoms include

  • Coughing up mucus
  • Fever
  • Chest pain
  • Loss of appetite
  • Fatigue

In severe cases, sufferers may cough up blood, vomit or have a rapid heart rate.

Treatment is usually antibiotics, which may need to be given intravenously in hospital in severe cases.

Source: British Lung Foundation



READ SOURCE

Leave a Reply

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you accept our use of cookies.