Let's Get Lenny Home

Hi, my name is Sue, and myself Phil and Steph are asking for a little help for the above, here is our story....

Never in our wildest dreams did we think we would be in a position to ask for help from strangers for our Dad, Grandad and Great Grandad, Lenny. Dad is a local legend and has spent most of his life, even up to this point turning his hand to fixing all things car related, becoming a 'mechanic extraordinaire'.

On the first of March this year, he had an unfortunate and tragic accident within 12 hours of arriving in Goa, India, for his 'once in a lifetime' holiday. He sustained life threatening injuries, landing in the ICU with a punctured lung, rib fractures and severe head injuries.

Every day since his accident, as traumatised as we were we his daughter Steph, son Phil and daughter-in-law Sue have been trying to move heaven and earth in an attempt to get him home.

Dad had taken out travel insurance but regrettably they took the decision to decline his claim and cover. This meant that Dad could not be moved to a more suitable hospital or flown back to the UK.

Being on life support and a ventilator, the cost of a privately funded air ambulance was, at over £100,000 devastatingly out of our reach.

Phil and Steph made the agonisingly long journey to Goa to be met by a heart-breaking sight and situation. Although now off the ventilator, his eyes occasionally opening and slight body movement, his doctors did not give us much positive news or indeed a very bright prognosis. Whilst there, they had to employ a 24 hour attendant to provide, amongst other things personal care and feeding. In addition, we have to fund certain medications and other items needed for his care, costing around £750 a month. Unfortunately these are not provided by the Indian hospital or their nurses, unlike our much taken for granted NHS. The cost of this is ongoing, until we can find a way to return him home to us. So with heavy hearts they said their goodbyes and made the gut-wrenching journey home.

Since their return home we have been bracing ourselves for the much dreaded phonecall that any family could ever receive, however to our utter delight, joy and amazement a video call was made by Dad's carer, showing us the fight and zest for life that our Dad Lenny still has. His eyes were wide open and he was moving around the bed and even trying to talk! Watching this, was to us nothing short of a miracle, giving us renewed strength and energy, making us more determined than ever to get him home.

We continue to communicate with relevant parties and agencies, including chasing the travel insurance company in order to achieve this goal.

As it stands, because of Dad's greatly changed condition, the cost of a repatriation company is now reduced to £35,000.

This is where you come in.

Many people have suggested that we start a 'Go Fund Me' page, so here we are...

Any donation that you are able to make, be it the price of a pint, chocolates or flowers that may have ordinarily been given to him would be greatly appreciated and will go along way to getting him home to us all.

Whilst he has received extraordinary care in India, we are hoping that additional input from UK health professionals and the love and support of his family and friends will greatly aid his remarkable and continuing recovery, whatever and however that may be...