A family’s vacation recently turned into a nightmare when their toddler suffered a brain hemorrhage.
Natasha Sargeant, 31, was on vacation in Cancun, Mexico, with her partner Liam Millen, 39, and kids Harry, 13, Liam, 11, and Sienna-Rose, 19 months, when her youngest collapsed due to a medical emergency, according to UK-based newspaper The Echo.
The family, based in Liverpool, England, are now waiting for an update on Sienna-Rose’s health before they are able to return home.
“I don’t have any words to describe what we have been through – it’s been absolutely horrific,” Sargeant told the outlet.
Her sister-in-law, Amy McFadden, has since started a GoFundMe fundraiser, writing in the description, “My niece, Sienna-Rose, who is 19 months old, sadly ended up in hospital after suffering a brain hemorrhage and swelling on the brain and underwent major life-saving surgery.”
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McFadden added that Sienna-Rose’s worried mother is having difficulty sourcing medicine for her because the hospital they are at is “either out or running low.”
As for getting the family back home, McFadden explained, “The British Embassy have been in touch and said a medical flight would be best, but that they would have to pay for it themselves. Natasha said it would cost thousands and we just desperately want them home.”
Sargeant said, per The Echo, that the specialist flight to return home would cost around $58,000.
A follow-up post on the fundraising page stated that Sienna-Rose caught an infection after surgery and was refusing to eat.
“Unfortunately, things don’t seem to be getting better for little Sienna,” the update read. “She doesn’t seem to be getting any better from the infection. The hospital she is in is not giving her the antibiotics as and when she needs them and only giving them to her sparingly. ”
The toddler is unable to drink or sit up without assistance, and she also has a high temperature and “is screaming in pain,” the update added.
Recalling the moment when Sienna-Rose’s health issues began, Sargeant told The Echo her daughter had “dropped to the floor like she was having a seizure” and then started “constantly vomiting.”
The family then went to the nearest hospital and were refused treatment after being asked for a hefty payment up front, she added. They then went to another hospital that was 30 minutes away, but the CT machine was broken.
Sienna-Rose received a CT scan at a third hospital, which showed she had a brain hemorrhage that caused her brain to double in size due to the excess fluid.
She then underwent a three-and-a-half hour surgery to have a blood clot removed, The Echo reported.
Sargeant said she was told that the blood clot had been present for months. “It’s been absolutely horrendous,” she told the outlet of her daughter’s condition. “She is the most happy, lovely little baby.”
“To see her like this is absolutely horrendous. I would never wish what we are going through on anyone,” Sargeant added.
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