Wife faces enormous bill after husband falls ill on holiday and 'insurance won't pay'

He was taken to intensive care in the middle of the night

A holidaymaker who fell ill during a trip to Greece is now facing a staggering £38,000 medical bill. Gwyn Elward was just two days into his Zante holiday with Rosalind, his wife of 52 years, when he felt so "shattered" he couldn't get out of bed.

Rosalind, 74, insisted he see a doctor and after a few checks, an ambulance was called to take Gwyn, 73, to the local hospital. Upon arrival, Rosalind simply showed Gwyn's UK Global Health Insurance Card, which allows for necessary state healthcare within Europe.

After spending four days in the local hospital, doctors advised that Gwyn, from Pencoed in Wales, needed more specialist treatment and he was transferred to a hospital in Athens. They arrived in the middle of the night and Gwyn was immediately taken to intensive care, reports Wales Online.

However, Rosalind signed a document she believed was necessary for admission and was then asked for a £5,000 deposit. "I said I'm insured. He said no, as a deposit, so panic me now I just paid it. He was in that hospital then for nearly two weeks. They kept onto me they wanted paying, they wanted thirty grand. I said I haven't got thirty grand, I was in a right state," she explained.

Rosalind and her family secured a hotel near the hospital so she could visit her husband Gwyn, who was in intensive care, every day. She explained that she walked there daily but during intense treatment was limited to just 15 minutes per visit, fully masked and gowned.

During these brief moments, Gwyn mentioned concerns about the room's air conditioning unit. "When we got back home then, he was in hospital here, and they detected legionella," Rosalind recalled, convinced the intensive care room was where he contracted Legionnaires' disease – an illness caused by inhaling water droplets containing harmful bacteria.

Environmental Health officers investigated their home on September 14 to trace the source of the infection, with results expected in the coming weeks. After initially being treated for heart issues—three days in intensive care—at a community hospital in Zante and another hospital in Athens for more than two weeks, Gwyn returned home to Bridgend.

Once there, he was diagnosed at the Princess of Wales Hospital with both pneumonia and Legionnaires' disease, requiring four blood transfusions before finally being discharged last week. Gwyn, a great-grandfather, has now stabilised after his heart condition was successfully managed.

Rosalind, after being told by her travel insurance that they wouldn't cover her hefty medical expenses, is now faced with a massive bill. She explained: "They sent me a letter with a breakdown of what we're going to pay, it is £30,000 for the hospital, then it's four doctors at £1,000 something to each."

As the mother-of-three grapples with this overwhelming stress, a friend has created a GoFundMe page to alleviate the financial strain. To support Rosalind, contributions can be made here.

Overwhelmed by the generosity, Rosalind mentioned that people have been "incredibly kind" in their donations to the crowdfunding effort and expressed profound gratitude for the assistance received alongside Gwyn.