Devon vet nurse ‘trapped’ in Spanish hospital set to fly home today

A Devon veterinary nurse whose family say she has been ‘trapped’ in a Spanish hospital for almost two weeks and given the wrong treatment is finally set to fly home today (Thursday, July 3).

Katie Hollis, aged 22, flew out to Spain on June 13 for a much-needed holiday with her grandmother, who lives in Alicante, but little did the family know of the medical nightmare that was about to unfold.

The former Holsworthy Community College student works at a veterinary practice at North Tawton and lives with a condition called functional neurological disorder (FND) which causes her to have intermittent non-epileptic seizures.

The seizures happen quite often but do not need treatment, Katie simply needs a quiet space and a little time to recover. The condition also makes her very tired.

When she had a seizure on an island day trip, Spanish authorities airlifted her to Hospital General Universitario de Elche on the mainland for treatment.

Her mother Jami Harris, who lives in Launceston, claimed the hospital gave her completely the wrong treatment for FND, treating it as if she had epilepsy and giving her incorrect drugs and refusing to heed her NHS diagnosis or acknowledge the treatment plan she had in place at home.

Above: Katie Hollis has been ‘trapped’ a Spanish hospital ICU and twice ‘sedated to the point of coma’ with the wrong treatment, her family claim. Credit: Jami Harris

Jami said the Spanish doctors refused to release her from hospital despite Katie ‘begging to go home’ and would not listen to the family’s pleas.

Katie had travel insurance but it was claimed they ‘were less than willing to help’, so in desperation the family set up a fundraising page to try and raise money for a medical flight to bring her home.

After days and days of uncertainty, the page has raised £13,000 and family and supporters have been able to organise a charter flight with a UK medic on board.

It is set to leave Spain for Exeter Airport this evening and Katie is due to see her own doctor and her neurological consultant in the next few days.

When launching the original appeal, the family spoke of their ‘living nightmare’ unable to get Katie released from hospital. They wrote: “They [doctors] insisted on a series of tests including MRI scans etc despite her family trying to tell them about her diagnosis and the plan she has in place, in conjunction with the NHS home in the UK.

“The Spanish doctors have refused to listen and have also been refusing to speak to Katie’s own doctor, who is desperately trying to give them Katie’s medical history and treatment plan.”

The family said the doctors ‘insisted on using protocols for epilepsy, which she does not have’.

They said she was heavily sedated and intubated twice, the second time leaving her effectively in a coma for 48 hours, put her in wrist restraints, taken her clothes away against her wishes and given her diazepam and fentanyl.

It continued: “The family have been screamed at in their faces and told ‘We are Katie’s doctors now, she is on our country and we will do whatever we like!’”

By this time, Jami had been able to obtain a fast track passport and join her daughter. A page update said the final straw was over the weekend following a heated argument with one of the on call doctors, who insisted on giving Katie four different of anti-epileptic drugs.

Above: North Tawton vet nurse Katie Hollis and her family say they have lived through a ‘Spanish hospital nightmare’. Credit: Jami Harris

Written on behalf of Jami, the update said: “After Jami refused to let them increase the medication, the doctor told them they should go. Jami was fearful for Katie’s immediate safety, so she did just that.

After being subjected to the doctor violently ripping out a central line from Katie’s arm Jami got her into a wheelchair and rushed her out of the hospital.”

The pair fled to Jami’s mother’s apartment, where they found Katie to be very weak and attempted to build up her strength after having been without food for 10 days.

In constant contact with the travel insurance company, a private doctor was arranged to ascertain how best to get Katie home – resulting in her being accompanied by a UK medic home tonight on a private charter flight.

Speaking via the latest update yesterday (Wednesday) to thank everyone who had donated to the effort to get Katie home, Jami said: “It’s been a very long, stressful and extremely frightening three weeks.

“Both myself and Katie are eternally grateful to each and every one of you for getting us safely home! You are quite literally the people who have made this happen.

“The love and support shown has been absolutely mind blowing and we thank you all from the bottom of our hearts.”

Family friend Melanie, who has been helping to co-ordinate the appeal from the UK as Jami often had poor internet connection, added: “We quite literally wouldn’t have been to get her out of Spain and on the way home safely without everyone’s incredible kindness and generosity.”

The Gazette has contacted Hospital General Universitario de Elche to ask if they wish to respond to the family’s claims.