Scots woman faces £43k bill after friend's wedding trip turns into 'nightmare'

Amy Sharp was admitted to hospital
-Credit: (Image: Supplied)


An Edinburgh woman has been rendered immobile after incurring a spinal injury during a trip to Corfu for a friend's marriage ceremony.

Amy Sharp, 45, headed to the Greek isle on September 9, hoping to enjoy a wedding week but was hospitalised a day before her planned return on September 16.

Found by pal in considerable discomfort with an awkwardly positioned body, Amy now finds herself hospital-bound, suffering from two collapsed vertebrae, facing the daunting prospect of a £43,000 air ambulance fee as her sole option for returning home.

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The Liberton resident has endured a battery of medical examinations including CT and MRI scans and was slated for two internal flights, which the medical centre allegedly declined to authorise, as per statements from her brother, Graham.

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In a conversation with Edinburgh Live, Graham said: "I have been in touch with the foreign office to get guidance but it seems like the only option open to us as a family is to organise an air ambulance to bring her home.

"We've gone from a £100 flight to get back to Corfu to a £43,000 air ambulance. I'm almost at the point where I'm going to have to book this just to get her home."

Compounding the family’s ordeal, Graham shared that following surgery in February, Amy had been given a clean bill of health. It is baffling to them as the operation was supposed to have resolved the issue, with even the surgeon expressing it was among the best of his work.

Graham added: "The in-laws of the wedding party are Greek so they are out there but her friends started heading back over last week. My mum and dad actually flew out to Ibiza the day she got admitted to hospital."

He, along with his parents, are planning on flying to Corfu once a final decision has been made on how to get Amy back to Scotland.

In an effort to cover some of the cost for the air ambulance, he has initiated a fundraiser which has received support from friends, family and former work colleagues. Meanwhile, Amy remains bedbound in hospital, unable to walk or sit, with doctors reportedly advising that she requires 'immediate surgery'.

Graham added: "She's still on the ball but is bedridden but can't move and been told she needs urgent surgery to fix the disc bulge which is causing the pressure."

The possibility of spinal fusion is also being considered. He said: "She may even need spinal fusion but we don't know. We're in constant communication and need to look at what to do but it looks like we will have to go with the air ambulance to just get her home."

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