Irish mum suffers ‘life-changing’ accident while on holiday with friends in Spain

“Time is of the essence…”

An Irish family are urgently seeking help after their mum suffered a ‘life-changing’ accident while on holiday with friends in Spain.

Carol Callaghan, 58, from Charleville, Cork, was out shopping with friends whilst holidaying in Alicante when she collapsed from a sudden cardiac arrest. She was immediately rushed to hospital, but the family were warned that she may not survive and she remained in a coma for a week.

Defying all odds, Carol pulled through but she remains in intensive care, with her son and daughter by her side.

However, speaking to The Opinion Line with PJ Coogan on Cork’s 96FM on Friday morning to share his family’s story, son Jack revealed that doctors have told them they have done all they can for her, and that she needs to return to Ireland to receive treatment at an intensive rehab centre to give her every possibility of recovery, reports RSVP Live.

They have now launched a fundraising drive in a bid to raise money to bring Carol home, as she is unable to return to Ireland without an air ambulance and specialist medical support, with her insurance refusing to cover the costs.

Speaking on the family’s plight, son Jack explained: “She still has a tracheostomy in so it would be intensive care she’d need throughout the flight and for the journey either side of the hospital.

“She’ll be in intensive care until she can get the tracheostomy out and once the tracheostomy is out she needs intensive rehab.

“Time is of the essence now because it’s been a couple of weeks of humming and hawing with the insurance thinking that we were going to get it and [then] not. The doctors have told us the sooner she can get her intensive rehab started, the better chance she has of getting back to a full recovery, so it’s kind of a big rush.”

He continued: “She has the biggest heart, and I know I’m a bit biased because I’m her son, but you could ask anyone around that knows her, she has the biggest heart, and we just need her home.”

The family have established a GoFundMe page hoping to raise sufficient funds to bring Carol home.

A message posted on the GoFundMe page reads: “As some of you may know, our beloved Carol was recently on holiday in Alicante, Spain, with friends when she suffered a life-changing accident while out shopping.

“Carol is currently still in hospital in Spain, and the extent of her injuries means she will require long-term rehabilitation and specialist care. Unfortunately, her travel insurance has refused to cover the cost of getting her home to Ireland for the treatment she urgently needs.

“To bring Carol back safely, she must be flown home by an air ambulance with a medical team – a cost that is well beyond what our family can manage alone.

“We’re reaching out for help. Every donation, no matter how small, will go directly towards:”.

• The cost of the medical flight to bring Carol home.

• Her rehabilitation and recovery

• Any ongoing care and support she will need on this journey.

“Carol and our family face an incredibly tough road ahead, but being back home in Ireland, surrounded by loved ones, is the first step in giving her the best chance at recovery.”

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.