{"id":141090,"date":"2023-08-30T15:17:15","date_gmt":"2023-08-30T15:17:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theprojectsworld.com\/?p=141090"},"modified":"2023-08-30T15:17:15","modified_gmt":"2023-08-30T15:17:15","slug":"british-grandmother-of-five-62-faces-race-against-time-for-operation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theprojectsworld.com\/world-news\/british-grandmother-of-five-62-faces-race-against-time-for-operation\/","title":{"rendered":"British grandmother-of-five, 62, faces race against time for operation"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>British grandmother-of-five, 62, faces race against time to raise \u00a360,000 for emergency heart operation after insurers &#8216;refused to cover cost&#8217; when she fell ill on dream holiday to Jamaica<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><span>Debbie Willcock, 62, was on holiday in Jamaica when nightmare unfolded<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A British grandmother-of-five on a dream holiday to Jamaica is facing a race against time to fund \u00a360,000 for a heart operation &#8211; after an insurance company refused to cover the cost.<\/p>\n<p>Debbie Willcock, 62, is currently in an Intensive Care Unit in\u00a0Montego Bay after suffering a cardiac arrest on Thursday.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Social and community support worker Mrs Willcock, who is from Bolton, had flown out with her family last Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p>She had been enjoying a day out on the beach in the sun when she was suddenly struck down without warning.<\/p>\n<p>When the ambulance was called relatives say the medics immediately asked for $300 to take her to Accident and Emergency.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Then after medics stabilised her with treatment costing the equivalent to some \u00a316,000, they were hit by a bombshell new bill for over five times that amount for a stent operation to save her.<\/p>\n<p>To make matters worse MailOnline has been told her insurance has refused to pay out, claiming she did not mention she had diabetes on the policy.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/08\/30\/12\/74870219-12460747-image-a-20_1693393300078.jpg\" height=\"634\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Debbie Willcock, 62, pictured here with husband Mike, is seriously ill in a Jamaican hospital<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/08\/30\/12\/74870163-12460747-image-a-21_1693393363863.jpg\" height=\"464\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>The family had set off last Wednesday from Manchester Airport the day before she fell ill<\/p>\n<p>Now her family have been forced to launch a crowdfunder online to try and recoup the money and raise \u00a360,000 so she can undergo an emergency heart operation and be moved to a hospital in Kingston.<\/p>\n<p>Her children Ashleigh and Aaron as well as husband Mike are by her side hoping the crucial medical treatment can take place and paid for.<\/p>\n<p>Mrs Willcock&#8217;s five grandchildren are also in Jamaica with them during the worrying time.<\/p>\n<p>Friend Sophie Rhone, who is representing the family, told\u00a0MailOnline: &#8216;Debbie would give her last pound to help you.<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;She has been a support and community care worker and has given everything her whole life to help other people.<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;The situation is a real race against time.\u00a0Watching her family go through this nightmare is unbearable.<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;Debbie had taken out premium insurance but forgot to put on she had diabetes.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/08\/30\/12\/74870309-12460747-image-a-22_1693393420052.jpg\" height=\"845\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Debbie is seen here with daughter Ashley and son Aaron enjoying the beach in happier times<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;When this all happened the family spoke to the insurers, who had received the medical notes, and were told they wouldn&#8217;t pay because of this being missed off.<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;The family have put \u00a316,000 down with the hospital as a kind of deposit, which has been made up from Mike&#8217;s pension as well as cash from family and friends.<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;But Debbie desperately needs heart surgery and a stent fitted fast.&#8217;\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The fundraising appeal has already reached over \u00a36,000 mostly from well-wishers who know the popular community figure.<\/p>\n<p>Expensive costs for medical treatment in Jamaica has hit British holidaymakers before.<\/p>\n<p>In 2018 three of them same family ended up in hospital for completely different reasons racking up medical bills of \u00a321,000.<\/p>\n<p>Dominic Pitter, 36, and his wife Emily, 42, paid \u00a39,000 for their five-star holiday to a resort on Jamaica&#8217;s west coast.<\/p>\n<p>But on the second day disaster struck and Mr Pitter suffered a perforated bowel and was rushed to hospital. His treatment ended up costing \u00a316,000.<\/p>\n<p>While he was recovering his daughter Amelia, 12, was also hospitalised with acute gastroenteritis.<\/p>\n<p>Her drip and re-hydration treatment cost the family, from Derby, another \u00a3920.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Mr Pitter&#8217;s father Len, 66, decided to fly out to Jamaica to be by his bedside. But catastrophe struck again when he had a heart attack.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>His three-day hospital stay cost \u00a34,600. He also had to extend his stay by a month until he was well enough to fly back to the UK.\u00a0 They were eventually refunded by their insurers.<\/p>\n<p>For Mrs Willcock and her family at the moment it appears they will not be able to recoup their costs.<\/p>\n<p>Mr Rhone added:\u00a0 &#8216;Debbie is awake but very confused and has lost a lot of her memory of what happened.<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;Her family are just distraught and fell a bit helpless.<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;It seems to be that the hospital will not do anything else without knowing the funding &#8211; which keeps changing &#8211; is there. It&#8217;s a terrible situation.&#8217;\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Mrs Willcock&#8217;s insurers have been approached for comment.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Fundraiser for Deborah Willcock for medical treatment<\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/news\/article-12460747\/British-grandmother-five-62-faces-race-against-time-raise-60-000-emergency-heart-operation-insurers-refused-cover-cost-fell-ill-dream-holiday-Jamaica.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>British grandmother-of-five, 62, faces race against time to raise \u00a360,000 for emergency heart operation after insurers &#8216;refused to cover cost&#8217;&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":141089,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>British grandmother-of-five, 62, faces race against time for operation - 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