Brit grandmother stranded in Florida 'finally returning home' but remains 'immobile' as she fights for her life
11 January 2025, 12:16
A British grandmother who has been stranded in a Florida hospital after catching Covid and developing pneumonia is "finally coming home".
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Patricia Bunting, 76, from Wigan was on a three-week holiday with her grandson and two sons at Disney World when she fell ill and was taken to hospital at Orlando's Dr P. Phillips Hospital.
Her family set up a GoFundMe to raise enough money to bring her back home to the UK, allowing her to continue receiving sufficient care and be surrounded by her loved ones.
Sharing a hopeful update on Friday, Patricia's daughter Emma said: "We are so relieved to share that Mum’s medical flight has been secured and she is finally coming home!
"The flight is scheduled for the 14th, but we’re just waiting for the final itinerary to be confirmed once Orlando Health has spoken to the ICU doctors at Wigan Infirmary.
"Mum will still need hospital care when she returns, but we are so happy that our family can be close to her and support her recovery moving forward.
"She is still catheterised and immobile and still requires a lot of medical care on her return to the UK.
"We honestly can’t thank you all enough for your kindness and generosity — it’s because of you that we’ve been able to make this happen.
"We’re still waiting to hear more about the medical bills, so we’ll leave the GoFundMe open for now.
"The most important thing is that we’re finally getting Mum home. We’re so, so grateful to every one of you. Thank you, all."
Patricia was stranded in Florida after refusing to pay for travel insurance for her "last trip abroad".
She wanted to return to her "happy place" one final time before her health deteriorated further - but refused to pay when she was quoted more than £3,000.
The 76-year-old uses three different inhalers to ease breathing difficulties and relies on a walker to get around.
However, having taken out travel insurance before and "never had to use it" she decided to risk it for her final trip.
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She was rushed to hospital, spending five days in intensive care with Covid and flu before developing pneumonia.
Sharing an earlier update, her daughter said: "Thank you so so much for your kindness and generosity.
"Unfortunately, my mum has now developed pneumonia as well as still battling covid and influenza. She is still a very poorly lady in critical care in the US.
"I can’t thank you enough for your kindness and generosity."
The family said that the cost of a special air ambulance to bring her back to the UK would be £130,000.
They were left "heartbroken" after she missed Christmas at home as well as the new year.
Currently, they have raised more than £40,000, with over 1,700 donations.
The family previously reached out to the UK Embassy in Miami but said officials only asked how they planned to pay for the medical bills.
The fundraiser was set up with a statement saying: "Every donation, no matter the size, will make a real difference. If you can’t donate, please help by sharing this page with your network.
"The more people who see this, the closer we get to bringing my mum home."
