Donna Jobling was on a surprise trip to Crete in Greece with her husband and two friends when she became seriously ill, with the 57-year-old rushed to hospital and put in an induced coma
A Brit is fighting for her life in a Greek hospital after falling seriously ill on an all-inclusive holiday.
Donna Jobling, of west Hull, is in intensive care at Venizeleio Hospital in Heraklion, Crete with doctors initially telling family it was “touch and go whether she would survive”. The 57-year-old had been enjoying the Greek sunshine with husband Sidney and friends Paula and Nicolas Mason when she began to feel unwell on June 5.
Donna suffered from a chest infection and two days later became seriously ill and she was rushed to hospital, where doctors put her in an induced coma.
Tests confirmed she had Legionnaires’ disease brought on by Legionella pneumophila, Donna’s niece, Claire, told Hull Live.
According to the NHS, Legionnaires’ disease is a lung infection you can get from inhaling droplets of water from things like contaminated air conditioning systems or hot tubs. Donna’s infection triggered acute respiratory failure and pneumonia, her family said, and they are now praying for her recovery.
Claire, 42, said: “We are all devastated and beside ourselves.” She added: “We were told it was touch and go whether she would survive. We are all praying for her. She is stable but under constant watch. We flew out there but had to come back because of work and family commitments. I’m still waiting for documents but will go back with them as soon as I have them.”
Husband Sidney, a former police officer, remains by Donna’s bedside with Claire describing her auntie as “like a mother to us all”. “It is quite strict in the intensive care unit,” Claire admitted. “You only get 30 minutes to visit. But she is well looked after.”
Paula and Nicholas, who also went on the £1,500-per-couple holiday, returned to Hull on June 12 and said the illness came out of nowhere. “It was lovely at the start of the holiday. We all walked everywhere,” Paula, 52, said.
“Then it came out from nowhere. She has a lot of health problems anyway. But she became seriously ill and the doctor said she had to be taken to hospital and they have put her in an induced coma in the intensive care unit.”
The source of the Legionnaires’ Disease has not yet been identified. Easyjet Holidays, with whom the couples travelled, are aware of the issue and have provided alternative hotel options to current and future guests.
A spokesperson said: “We’re so sorry to hear that Ms Jobling is unwell, and we’re continuing to support her and her family in every way we can. As soon as we were made aware of reports of illness, we immediately took action and contacted customers who were already staying in the hotel, or due to travel in the next four weeks, to provide alternative hotel options.
“We’ve also been in touch with customers who recently returned home from this hotel, to inform them of necessary guidance. Our customers’ safety and wellbeing is our top priority, and we’ll continue to do all we can to support them.”