A mother has been left ‘heartbroken’ after she was told to stump up £110,000 for medical repatriation after her toddler daughter suffered a horror brain haemorrhage while on holiday in Mexico.
Natasha Sargeant’s daughter, Sienna-Rose, from Croxteth, Liverpool, who is just 19 months old, suffered a brain haemorrhage and swelling while on holiday in Cancun.
The toddler suddenly collapsed whilst playing with her brothers and received life-saving surgery to remove a blood clot.
She was rushed to three different hospitals before being accepted for treatment, during which she vomited about 50 times.
Doctors were only able to remove part of the clotting, and a blood clot remains in the left part of her brain.
The family, who are unaware if there will be lasting brain damage, are desperate to return to the UK for better medical treatment – but remain stuck in Mexico after the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) told them they must fund their own medical flight, costing upwards of £110,000.
The FCDO told the worried family they couldn’t afford to repatriate them and instead said they would compile a list of charities they could approach for help.
Natasha Sargeant told MailOnline it was ‘heartbreaking’ when she heard the FCDO could not repatriate her sick daughter.
Sienna-Rose (pictured), who is just 19 months old, suffered a brain haemorrhage and swelling while on holiday in Cancun
The toddler, from Liverpool, suddenly collapsed whilst playing with her brothers and received life-saving surgery to remove a blood clot
Doctors were only able to remove part of the clotting, and a blood clot remains in the left part of her brain
‘They said they don’t have money for this sort of thing. They said there was no funding for the costs and we would have to raise it ourselves. I was disappointed and taken aback.
‘The baby’s life is in danger. I would expect something to be in place for this. There should be something available. There’s now the added stress of trying to raise funds.
‘I don’t want to lose her in another country.’
The mother-of-three said she was quoted £110,000 for a private flight this morning.
They have also been charged £4,000 a night at the Mexican hospital.
‘The costs are not viable,’ Ms Sargeant said. ‘I work in the UK on a minimum wage in a hospital. We have already paid £12,000 and that is before the flight.’
The family took out travel insurance but it was rendered invalid.
A GoFundMe page has been set up by her sister-in-law Amy McFadden, which has so far raised £17,500.
She was rushed to three different hospitals before being accepted for treatment, during which she vomited about 50 times
Ms Sargeant was on holiday with her partner Liam Millen, 39, and children Harry, 13, Liam, 11, when Sienna-Rose collapsed
The family, who are unaware if there will be lasting brain damage, are desperate to return to the UK for better treatment
Ms McFadden, told MailOnline: ‘We just want to get them home. It’s horrible them being so far away.
‘It’s a living nightmare. You never think this would happen to your family. It just doesn’t feel real. We’re all in turmoil.’
She described Sienna-Rose as the ‘happiest little girl you’d ever meet’.
Less than a year ago the toddler was in hospital because of swollen lymph nodes. ‘The whole time she was smiling and laughing,’ Ms McFadden said.
Treatment at the Cancun hospital is inferior to in the UK and the longer Sienna-Rose stays the more she is deteriorating, according to her mother.
‘It is a fight every day for antibiotics,’ she said. ‘We have to ask for everything here including paracetamol. There has been none on site so I have been forced to rush out.
Sienna-Rose pictured with brothers Harry and Liam. The siblings were playing together before she collapsed
Ms Sargeant and Mr Millen are taking turns by the child’s bedside as only one person is allowed in the hospital at a time
‘In the UK you don’t even need to ask and they will provide you with the right medicine and blood tests.
‘They are now trying to discharge her so there is space for other babies. But she can barely stand up or speak. It’s a fight to prevent her being discharged. At home they would make sure she has had rehab and it fit before leaving.
‘She can’t even sit up now and there’s no plan once she is discharged’.
Ms Sargeant was on holiday with her partner Liam Millen, 39, and children Harry, 13, Liam, 11, when Sienna-Rose collapsed.
Only one person is allowed at the hospital at a time, meaning the pair are taking turns by the child’s bedside and looking after her brothers.
A FCDO Spokesperson said: ‘We are supporting the family of a British child in hospital in Mexico, and are in touch with the local authorities.’
