British tourist stuck in Tenerife given ’50/50 chance to live’ after deadly diagnosis
A British tourist who was holidaying in Tenerife has been given a “50/50 chance to live” after a deadly diagnosis.
James Leishman, 46, was sitting on his Jet2 flight to the Spanish island with his son Daniel, 11, and partner Belinda Cathro, 52, when he noticed that his elbow was bruised and felt tender.
Two hours into the flight on August 19, Leishman’s elbow burst with puss seeping out, though the family “didn’t think much of it at the time”.
He visited a chemist the next morning after feeling pain in his arm, where he was given antibiotic cream, a bandage and ibuprofen.
Horror soon struck when the 46-year-old could no longer walk and had to be taken back to his hotel in Costa Adeje.
Cathro told The Daily Express: “At about 12.00pm he complained he was hot and had a very bad headache, 29 minutes later he did not know who he was, who I was or where he was. He could not walk or focus and was in so much pain.
“The hotel called us a doctor which cost 130 euros and then another 170 euros for an ambulance and he was taken to a private hospital.
“I had to pay 1100 euros before I could see James. When I next saw him his arm was about four times the size.”
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Cathro and Daniel, 11, were staying 50 miles away from Leishman
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As Cathro ran out of money to pay for the private hospital, her partner was then taken to a public hospital in Santa Cruz. She has had to catch three buses every time she wants to see him.
At the hospital, which was almost 50 miles away from where the family were staying, she said that Leishman “felt his life ebb away”.
The 46-year-old was then given the devastating news that he had Strep A/Toxic Shock System and was given a 50 per cent chance of survival. He was told that his arm was also at risk of being amputated.
On August 21, just two days after they landed in Tenerife, Leishman was put on life support as the infection seemed to be spreading.
Cathro was told to call the rest of the family and tell them to fly over, as he likely might not have much time left.
“I could not go everyday as Jet2 was helping me sort out insurance and paperwork. Next time we went to see James was on Saturday August 24, he was off the breathing pipes but had oxygen as his lungs did not look good,” she said.
Leishman borded his Jet2 flight with his family with a bruised and tender elbow
PA
Since then, he has undergone numerous operations to try and remove the infected areas from his arm. He has now left the ICU and is in a normal ward.
For the sake of their child, who was struggling with the situation, Cathro flew back home with Daniel – though since returning home, she has been trying to save funds to fly back to Leishman.
He is due to have his final operation this week but the road to recovery will not be easy.
The family, who are now in “so much debt”, have also set up a GoFundMe to try and pay for the 46-year-old’s treatment.
“We hope this GoFuneMe will help go towards the debt as we still need to get the invoice for his treatment and the funds will be used for future treatment. It will help so much, I have missed out on work and will do in the next few months as James will need a carer,” its description reads.
“Who would have guessed a bruise would lead us to this. This has been the most awful holiday. It’s had a big impact on all our mental health and as for future holidays it will be here in the UK.”
