'My husband died after a stroke on our dream holiday'

A woman has been left devastated after her husband suddenly died on a dream holiday. Jane Mennie, 79, went on a two-week Mediterranean cruise in October 2022 with her husband John Mennie, 84. The couple were on day 13 of their trip when John's speech became slurred and he was unable to move.

An onboard doctor confirmed John, a music shop owner, was having a stroke so he was taken to a hospital in Safi, Morocco. After ten days in hospital, his condition deteriorated rapidly and Jane was forced to use her life savings to get him back to the UK - where he died three days later.

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Jane, a nursery owner, from Greenwich, South East London, said: "It was all so distressing. He was the most loving husband, and was physically active - he cared about what he ate and drank.

"It was terrifying watching him deteriorate as the hospital just didn't have the facilities to care for his condition. Our insurance provider held things up meaning I had to come up with the money to bring him back to the UK.''

The couple of 53 years paid £8,000 for a two-week Mediterranean cruise. They boarded from La Palma Cruise Port on October 13, 2022 for a 12-day trip. But just one day before they were due to go home, John had a stroke and they had to disembark.

Jane said: "He'd complained of a headache at dinner the night before so he had an early night. But I called the onboard doctor at 5am as John couldn't walk to the bathroom and his speech was slurring.

"He confirmed that John was having a stroke and I went into a state of panic. We were in foreign waters and fear just consumed me as I could see he was falling more and more unconscious.'"

Two hours after the stroke, the ship docked in Morocco on October 23 and the couple were taken to Clinic Hospital in Casablanca, Morocco.

Jane said: "John was still in his pyjamas and had soiled himself. He couldn't speak or move and I remember begging him not to leave me. I felt sick to my stomach when medics didn't know what to do with him. I spoke to a cruise rep immediately who told me he could be transferred to another hospital but it would cost money."

The mum-of-two contacted her insurance provider, Red Sands, but claims the company told her they couldn't make a decision on her husband's treatment or transfer until they received a medical GP report from the hospital.

'I just wanted him repatriated - I couldn't stand by to watch him die'

She said: "Thankfully I had savings so I was able to pay £7,000 for my husband's transfer in an ambulance. I was going back and forth with the insurance company but John was just getting worse so I spent three hours roaming around looking for cashpoints to get the money.

"When he was admitted to the second hospital on October 24, 2022, he needed an incubator - he was dying right in front of my eyes. The language barrier between myself and the medics was tough, so it was hard to get a medical report quickly.

"I was utterly lost with what to do so my daughter Sarah, 56, flew out the same day to help. The medical report was finally sent to the provider the following day but there were complications with it which delayed us getting any sort of help."

Following ten gruelling days in hospital, Jane claims that she was unable to wait for the insurance company to make a decision and instead released £35,000 from her business to pay for an air ambulance back to the UK.

She said: "We ended up contacting the British Embassy who advised us to pay the funds to get him back home. He was on an incubator and had a catheter and a drip put in, but it wasn't enough.

"He was unconscious and frail, and it broke our hearts into pieces. I just wanted him repatriated - I couldn't stand by to watch him die. We managed to get him onto an air ambulance to fly him home, but complications saw him and us sent back to Casablanca hospital.

"The airport told us they wouldn't take him to the UK because we hadn't sorted a hospital out. We were terrified we couldn't get him home. Two days later, we were forced to pay more money and we were finally able to get him onto another plane fully incubated."

'He was the kindest soul, and I miss him every day'

After arriving back in the UK on November 5, 2022, John was rushed to the private Cromwell Hospital, Kensington, London, where he died three days later.

Jane claims that medics informed her he'd suffered a stroke caused by a blood clot, and his brain had deteriorated from delayed treatment.

She said: "It was very, very upsetting to see my amazing husband in the state that he was. No one deserves to die like that, and I pray, every day, that no one else experiences this.

"I'm advising all holidaygoers to thoroughly look into their travel insurance providers before paying. John never regained consciousness, and although it's been over a year since I lost him, I will never forget what he went through.

"He was the kindest soul, and I miss him every day."