Bob Atkinson’s family hopes to raise the £35,000 needed to get him home, as well as an additional £40,000 to cover his medical bills.
The 67-year-old landlord of the King William pub in Acomb has been in hospital abroad since Sunday, April 6, after falling ill while on holiday with his wife, Carol Atkinson.
Bob’s stepdaughter, Amanda Liddle, told The Press he fell on his way back from a meal with Carol, on their last night abroad.
The next morning “Bob couldn’t feel his legs of his feet”, she said.
Bob’s hotel phoned an ambulance which took him to a private hospital.
There, doctors discovered a small tumour in Bob’s lower back and found he had a shattered lower vertebra.
The grandfather underwent emergency spinal surgery.
But the following day he was told that his medical insurance did not cover the surgery or treatment.
“We have got no insurance whatsoever,” Amanda said, adding: “We’re all shocked. It’s just like one of those horrible programmes on the TV. It’s unbelievable."
The 45-year-old, who works as a housing manager for a charity, said the family is yet to be told about the seriousness of the tumour.
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