This is the terrifying moment a mum was pictured floating face down in the sea after suffering a life-threatening brain haemorrhage on a family holiday to Greece.
Katy Head, 39, was snorkelling in the Aegean Sea off the coast of Kos when she collapsed in front of her husband Craig, 38, and eight-year-old son Leighton.
Craig managed to drag her on board a boat and she was rushed to hospital where she underwent a five-hour operation on her brain.
Doctors have told him it is not clear whether she will survive, or be left disabled following her collapse last Friday (21/10).
Mr Head, from Derby, said: “She’s in a very bad way. She’s been left with a very high pulse and blood pressure and that means there’s a greater chance of damage to her heart and brain.
“If she does pull through, then she could lose her sight.
“I’m in absolute turmoil. One minute, we were in the sea, on a luxury holiday having the time of our lives.
“Me and Leighton were in the sea swimming and, as we headed back to the boat, Katy complained of a pain in her neck. Seconds later, she was face down in the sea.
“The chap on the boat took a picture of us all in the water and must have thought Katy was snorkelling but she had her face down in the water and was unconscious. It was horrific.
“I swam over and became more concerned. Something was not right. I reached for her leg and she was lifeless and limp.
“I pulled her life vest and lifted her head from the water. Her lips were blue and I yelled for help.
“The captain of the boat dived in and we dragged her body up to the boat and started to do basic first-aid. She was breathing, just, but experiencing what I would describe as a seizure.
“The Kos ambulance service was out on another call and we were told it would take an hour to get to her.
“She drifted in and out of consciousness, screaming about her head and she had difficulty seeing. She was clearly seriously ill and we needed to act as fast as possible.”
Mr Head said, at this point, he could see his son squeezing his hands together and praying.
He added: “My heart sank as I could not comfort him and leave my wife unattended. It was horrific and only the beginning of a terrible journey which has still not really started.”
Mrs Head was able to get an ambulance and was taken to a hospital in Kos. She was examined there and given a MRI scan.
It was then decided to move her to Athens by air ambulance. At this point, Mr Head and his son could not travel with her, so they arranged alternative transport to the hospital so they could be with her.
Mr Head said surgeons are saying his wife had an aneurysm – a swelling in a blood vessel – which burst.
Mr Head, who was made redundant from Balfour Beatty earlier this year, has been warned it will be eight weeks until her situation might improve.
He has set-up an online fund-raising page to pay for flights for Leighton to return to Derby, accommodation in Greece and other costs.
In Athens, medics had to fit an emergency drain to release the pressure from her brain and release some of the blood.
She was placed in an induced coma and a doctor told Mr Head that they would have to operate to make sure there was no more bleeding.
It was a success, but now Mrs Head, who is a play leader at Landau Forte Academy Moorhead, in Alvaston, is facing other complications.
Her husband, who now works at Freeths Solicitors in Nottingham, added: “She’s now got a real fight to get better.
“The procedure was a success but there are other issues. I’m dreading a phone call at any minute to either tell me she has died or something terrible has happened. It’s a terrible situation. I cannot believe this has happened.
“One minute we were having a lovely, brilliant, dream holiday and now we’re in this situation. There’s still a lot of bleeding on the brain.
“Because of that, there is more chance of infections and it’s putting pressure on her heart.
“There’s also very high blood pressure and her pulse is very high. We have been warned she could lose her sight and could have a stroke and worse.
“It’s a public health service but I will need money for food, clothes, drinks and somewhere to stay for that time. There will also be a lot of rehab needed and I want to make sure she is in the best condition she can be in. I don’t want added stresses.
“We’ve paid for a flight so Leighton can return to Derby. His grandma is coming out soon to take him back. It’s no place for an eight-year-old. He’s been such an amazing and brave boy. He’s kept so strong, despite all he has seen.
“He’s hugged me when I have been crying and his support is fantastic. I would rather him be home in Derby with his grandma and friends so he can have some sort of normality. He’s doing really well at school and he doesn’t deserve any of this.
“It’s terrible. We just need some help. It’s a devastating situation. People have donated already and I cannot thank them enough.”
To donate to the cause, visit the following link: https://www.gofundme.com/holiday-horror-2w26b3v4
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