Holly Seaford, 20, suffered four fractures to her vertebrae in the early hours of Wednesday morning after falling from a balcony at her hotel in Rhodes, leaving her unable to move
A young British woman has been left in hospital unable to move after falling from the second-floor balcony of her hotel on holiday.
Holly Seaford, from Ystrad Mynach in Wales, had travelled to the Greek island of Rhodes with her partner for a holiday last week before falling from the balcony in a freak accident. In the fall, which happened in the early hours of Wednesday, July 9, 20-year-old Holly fractured four vertebrae and has been left hospitalised and unable to move as medics struggle to treat her. With Holly unable to make any movement, her boyfriend Tate Crees, who is by her side in Rhodes, shared that it will be two months before she regains mobility.
He described her condition: “She is lying flat in a hospital bed in a back brace unable to move or walk. Doctors have told us it’ll be at least six to eight weeks before she can start to regain mobility. This is going to be a very difficult process.”
Caught in a dire situation, the family fears the mounting costs of repatriation, prompting Holly’s sister Briony to appeal for public support in fundraising efforts. According to Briony, Holly’s current state is distressing: “She’s in a lot of pain and is bedbound. The last I heard they’d given her paracetamol. They can’t effectively look after her there.”
Tate also expressed his concern over the quality of care available. The couple had been due to fly back from Rhodes on the day Holly fell from the balcony, reports WalesOnline.
“Although the medical care in Greece is good, the hospital sadly doesn’t have any nursing support available,” Tate explained. “This means Holly is without help for even the most basic daily needs which is having a serious impact on her wellbeing.
“We are desperate to get her home to the UK where she can receive the professional nursing care and rehabilitation she urgently requires.
“But medical repatriation is incredibly expensive, especially as the only way Holly can fly home is on a stretcher. She requires a specialist medical flight with trained staff to monitor her throughout the journey and unfortunately this isn’t covered by insurance.”
Some £3,000 has already been raised to support Holly and her family. You can see the fundraiser here.