Mum faces £40k medical bill after teen suffers stroke on 18th birthday holiday

15 March 2024 , 12:04

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Jodie Ankrett saved up for two years for her son Leo Tomkinson's 18th birthday trip to Disneyland Paris, (Image: stokesentinel)

A birthday trip gone disastrously wrong has left a single mum facing a medical bill of up to £40,000.

Jodie Ankrett, who saved for two years for her son Leo Tomkinson's 18th birthday trip to Disneyland Paris, is facing a medical bill of up to £40,000 after her son had a stroke on the trip and fell into a coma. The pair, along with Leo’s little sister Mia and his nan Tracy, travelled to Paris by plane on February 10.

But two days into the holiday, the family were unable to wake Leo up. Paramedics were called to their hotel and he was rushed to the intensive care unit at a nearby hospital, reports. Jodie said that that her son was put on a life support machine and medical staff tried to make him comfortable. She added that Leo showed "no signs" of being unwell before heading to bed.

She said: "He was a bit tired but I didn’t think anything of it because of all the travel. He was in a coma for a week." On February 28, Leo was returned to the UK in a private ambulance. Although the family had travel insurance, because some of Leo’s pre-existing conditions weren’t declared, such as his muscular dystrophy, Jodie has not been able to claim the hospital and travel costs back.

Whilst on holiday Leo had a stroke and fell into a coma - now his single mum faces a huge hospital bill (stokesentinel)

The mum-of-four is expecting the bill to be between £20,000 and £40,000 and that the “thought of” the bill was making her ill. She said: “I’ll be paying it until I’m dead.’ She added: “He still can’t walk or talk, he still can’t say hello. They couldn’t tell me how long it’s going to take for him to recover. I’ve got the stress of not knowing how much the medical bills are going to be. It’s the worst experience of my life. It's been two years in the planning for his 18th birthday, I didn’t expect it to end like this.”

Baby boy has spent his life in hospital as doctors are 'scared' to discharge him

Jodie claims medics told her Leo’s experience isn’t down to his pre-existing condition. She wants to warn others and raise awareness that strokes can affect anyone young or old. She added: “The medics said the stroke has nothing to do with his condition. It could happen to anyone, I didn’t think to look out for it with him being only 18. I thought it was something only old people get. I want to make people aware of that."

Jodie’s best friend Angel Martin, from Newcastle-under-Lyme, has set up an online fundraising appeal to help cover the costs. So far over £3,500 has been raised. Jodie said: “I started crying when I found out Angel had done this for me. I’m very grateful for anybody who donates to the GoFundMe or shares it on social media.” To visit the fundraising appeal, .

Mariam Khan