Bazz Granger from Edinburgh suddenly took ill on a Cape Verde holiday that left him in hospital fearing he was going to die and his partner facing £87,000 medical bill
A man’s African holiday with his partner turned into a nightmare when he fell ill shortly after landing. Bazz Granger from Portobello, Edinburgh suffered a stroke and lost all sensation in the right side of his body.
He had flown to Cape Verde for what was supposed to be a relaxing and well-earned break with his partner Janie Morris last month. However, the situation rapidly spiralled into a terrifying and entirely unexpected ordeal on the first morning when the 43-year-old began experiencing a headache, dizziness, nausea and severe pain.
Bazz, a local woodworker, was rushed to a private clinic in Santa Maria and lost the ability to speak or use the right side of his body before his mouth drooped.
Speaking to Edinburgh Live, Janie described the situation as “incomprehensibly frightening”, with Bazz even dictating his will on his phone because he believed he was going to die.
Due to issues with their insurance, the couple have been saddled with a staggering £87,000 bill for the final clinic charges and the medical repatriation cost to bring him back to Edinburgh. Bazz arrived back in the Scottish capital on Saturday, 7 March.
His partner Janie recalled: “We flew to Cape Verde on the 27th of February. We arrived and checked into the hotel, had a little wander and went to bed.
“We got up in the morning and he said he had a bit of a sore head and asked me for an ibuprofen. We were trying to get dressed to go to breakfast and he suddenly felt incredibly dizzy and was really sick.
“He was just lying on the bed in a lot of pain and asked if I could get a doctor because he was really worried. He’s not the kind of person that would ever ask for the doctor, normally you have to force him to go so I knew it was something serious.
“We got taken to a private clinic in Santa Maria but there just wasn’t really any information about what was going on. He was out of it and was saying to me he was in extreme pain.
“He couldn’t really speak and he seemed to get worse over the next couple of hours. They were just giving him IV fluids and then they agreed to give him a CT scan.
“At that point, he asked me for the voice recorder on his phone so he could dictate a will which shows how scared he was – he thought he was going to die. It was incomprehensibly frightening. They said his CT scan came back clear and that it could just be a really bad migraine but it really looked like he was having a stroke to me.
“He didn’t have any feeling on the right side of his body and his mouth had dropped. He wasn’t getting any treatment apart from fluids to keep him hydrated. I just felt like they weren’t treating him properly.”
At this stage, Janie contacted their insurance company only to be informed there had been an error and Bazz had selected the incorrect policy.
She added: “They just said there was nothing they could do to help and that was when the real panic set in. The bill to get him home was absolutely astronomical.
“I didn’t know how I would get hold of €90,000 and they wouldn’t do anything until the bill was paid. They said as soon as I paid the money, they would dispatch a plane.
“Even if we did have that kind of money, I certainly wouldn’t have been able to access it immediately. I am a student and he’s self employed so we certainly don’t have that kind of money. Throughout all of this, he was terrified and in so much pain.
“The insurance company then agreed on the Friday evening they would send over a legal form for me to sign to say that I would be liable for the cost but they would upfront the costs and get him home.
“So of course, I signed it – there was no question. He got admitted to intensive care on Saturday night and then into the stroke ward on Sunday morning.”
Once the couple returned to Edinburgh, they were informed he had suffered a dissection of the right vertebral artery. Janie added: “An artery in his neck exploded which cut off the blood supply to his brain and caused a stroke.
“It’s a freak occurrence apparently. We’re just relieved to be in good hands now and getting care. He still can’t really open his eyes without being sick and he’s on IV Morphine for the pain.
“He has very limited use of his right side. We were told he is very young to have had a stroke but it’s just about giving it time.
“Right now we’re still at the stage of managing his pain and alleviating his symptoms so he can start rehab and get a treatment plan together.”
Bazz is currently worried he may not be able to return to his line of work. Janie went on: “Obviously he’s really scared that he’s not going to get back to the fine motor control that he needs to do his job, and I’m trying to reassure him that it’s something we can worry about later.
“Because he’s self-employed, he’s incredibly concerned about his customers and all the jobs he has coming up. I’ve contacted all of the customers to explain what’s happening, and they’ve all been amazing.”
The pair had booked their getaway to treat themselves following several extremely challenging years. “We were trying to get away because we’ve had a dreadful time recently. My mum died and then our dog passed away”, Janie went on.
“We just wanted a bit of a reset and to do something nice after a horrible time but obviously it just turned into such a nightmare.”
A crowdfunding page has been set up to help the couple during this challenging period with covering the medical expenses and has so far raised over £18k.
“I can’t even express to you how grateful I am and how loved we feel. It’s been truly mind blowing actually. It’s lovely how people will come together for you in these circumstances.”
Anyone wishing to donate can contribute to the fundraiser here.