Elias Vorrias, 47, was on the final day of his family’s holiday in Zakynthos when he became ill and was rushed to hospital – his travel insurance has since been declared void
A family from Leicestershire are stuck in Greece after their brother fell critically ill, rendering his travel insurance invalid. The Vorrias clan from Loughborough were wrapping up what they described as the “absolute time of our lives” holiday in Zakynthos when Elias Vorrias took ill.
Elias, a 47 year old German shepherd breeder, was soaking up the sun on Monday, July 21, just days before he was set to return home. He began feeling “a bit shivery” and had an “icky tummy” the next day, which the family initially attributed to the heat.
However, by Tuesday, July 22, Elias was struggling to breathe and could barely get out of bed, leading to an urgent ambulance call.
He was whisked away to a local medical centre and subsequently moved to Zakynthos General Hospital that same day. On Wednesday, July 23, as his sisters Yiota and Jenny Vorrias were getting ready to fly back to the UK, doctors informed them that Elias was dying and needed to be transferred to the ICU due to his worsening condition.
Elias’s bank travel insurance provider has now deemed his policy invalid due to a portion being void. His relatives are now confronted with a €40,000 medical repatriation bill and are self-funding their prolonged stay in Greece, missing employment and shelling out approximately £80 daily for lodging and vehicle rental, reports Leicestershire Live.
Yiota and her sibling were compelled to deliver continuous care for Elias during the initial 24 hours on the general ward. Since then, he has contracted sepsis from a liver infection and multiple organ failure, and is currently sedated in intensive care.
Yiota revealed to LeicestershireLive: “We were on a family vacation and having the absolute time of our lives and then everything changed. In Greece, you don’t get any nursing care when you’re on a general ward. They expect the family to look after the patient. The nurses are just there to give the medication.”
The household has already been presented with a €2,114 invoice from the original medical centre, which they presently cannot settle. Yiota explained: “We’ve said to them, you might have to just wait because we’re still stuck in Greece we can’t pay it at the moment, but we promise we will pay it because without your care and sending him to the hospital, he might not be here now.”
Elias, a former dancer and entertainer on cruise ships, is being hailed by friends as the “most kindest, generous person that will do anything for anybody.”
However, his current health crisis has left him “almost like delirious”, with Yiota revealing: “He’s just trying to fight me and my sister whenever we’re trying to stop him getting off the bed.”
The family has been told by doctors that “it’s a miracle he’s got this far” as Elias valiantly fights sepsis and multiple organ failure. He has also contracted pneumonia and cannot be roused due to a bronchial spasm causing him distress.
The family’s vigil has been tense, living “from hour to hour” and then “day to day” as Elias remains in a critical state.
Despite having jobs to return to in Loughborough on Thursday, July 24, both sisters are stuck abroad caring for Elias. Their 76 year old mother joined them in Greece but found the 40C heat too much to bear and had to remain indoors.
After their insurance company indicated they would not provide financial support, declaring Elias’s policy void, the family felt abandoned. Yiota stressed the importance of transparency with insurers, saying: ” We want to warn other families about making sure you share any past and present medical information, no matter how old, with any ‘free’ bank travel insurance you may have, to ensure no other families go through the nightmare we are living in another country right now.”
A JustGiving page has been established to assist the family in raising the £38,000 required for an ICU air ambulance to bring Elias back home for ongoing care. Further details, including how to contribute, can be found here.