An Angus mum who suffered a stroke on holiday was told she would lose her insurance cover unless she flew home – despite being warned she could have a second stroke if she got on a plane.
Vicki Topen, 51, from Carmyllie, took unwell while visiting Antalya in Turkey with husband Liam, sons Rhys and Blair, and Rhys’s partner Kasey.
Vicki was issued with a no-fly certificate by medics in Turkey, who warned she could suffer another stroke if she flew before May 26.
However, her insurance firm, Tesco Bank, said its own experts disagreed and believed she was capable of flying home.
The company warned her it would be unable to cover her if she chose to stay in Turkey to recover.
‘Doctors didn’t want me in the air before May 26’
She said: “Last Wednesday I was feeling a numbness along my left-hand side from my face to my hip.
“I went in for a CT scan and an MRI, which showed that I had a blood clot in my brain.
“I’ve been given blood thinners that I will probably keep taking for the rest of my life.
“I was told that the doctors (in Turkey) did not want me in the air before May 26 and if I did, there may be a high likelihood of it happening again, and I may not come out of it.
“We called the insurance company, who verbally agreed to authorise an extension.
“Then on Friday, we were told that they had decided against it as they felt it wasn’t as severe as they were told.
“We were told we had to leave on Saturday or they would declare our insurance invalid.
“It caused me to have a major panic attack, which felt even worse than the stroke.
“It put us under a lot of stress.”
Tesco Bank, whose travel insurance is underwritten by the Axa group, gave Vicki an extra day to discuss her case.
MSP Liam Kerr, along with The Courier, then contacted the firm to raise Vicki’s concerns.
The company has now agreed to extend its cover to allow Vicki more time to recuperate.
Insurer to cover costs of Turkey recuperation
A Tesco Bank spokesperson said: “We’re very sorry to hear that Mrs Topen has fallen ill while on holiday.
“Our team of specialist aviation medical professionals has confirmed Mrs Topen is fit to travel, but we recognise her reluctance to do so given local medical advice.
“We are focused on supporting Mrs Topen with her medical needs and return home following a further period of recuperation in Turkey, for which her travel insurance policy with Tesco Bank will cover the costs.”
Vicki said she was grateful for The Courier’s intervention.
She added: “We are also grateful to our family, friends, interpreters from the hospital and our neurologist as well as the manager and all the staff at the Rixos Sungate hotel.
“Without them, it might have been a totally different outcome.”
Mr Kerr, Scottish Conservatives MSP for North East Scotland, said: “This has been a horrible experience for a family who should have been making holiday memories to cherish.
“The process has added unnecessary stress to recovery from a serious brain injury.
“Taking out holiday insurance is meant to give peace of mind to people on their travels.
“It’s about cutting down risk – so I’m surprised anyone would put a family through a potentially dangerous journey like this.
“In the unlikely event something goes wrong during a holiday, people need to know the insurance policy has them covered.
“I’m delighted this has been resolved.”
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