A well-known York publican has fallen seriously ill on holiday, leaving his family with huge medical bills of over £60,000 in order to bring him home.
Bob Atkinson, also known as ‘Benidorm Bob’ amongst customers and friends, is the landlord of The King William pub in Acomb.
Last week during his holiday in Benidorm, on the day he was due to fly home, Bob suddenly became unwell. He woke up unable to get out of bed or use his legs, and was rushed into the local hospital by ambulance.
Following assessments by neurosurgeons, Bob underwent emergency spinal surgery.
He has remained in intensive care since the operation and was given the awful news that doctors had discovered a tumour on his spine. This accounted for the spinal break and Bob was informed that he may never walk again.
His family are desperately trying to get Bob back to York so he can begin the next stages of treatment for the tumour and receive ongoing care.
Unfortunately, Bob’s travel insurance covers only a very small portion of the medical bills and repatriation costs. The financial strain is taking a huge toll on Bob and his wife, Carol Atkinson.
His family have launched a GoFundMe page to raise the money.
Bob’s sister, Amanda Braithwaite, has shared an update to their fundraising page.
“On Thursday when I arrived here in Spain, the hospital bill was at £35,000 and that was three days ago. The air ambulance quote is £28,870.” Amanda wrote.
She goes on to explain that her brother would have been entitled to free medical care if he’d have been treated at a public hospital, but due to Bob’s travel insurance, he was taken to a private hospital.
Zurich Insurance Group initially agreed to cover the cost of Bob’s operation; they have now stated that only 18% of the bill can be reimbursed.
Amanda said: “They have said because it’s such a large amount it’s an unusual situation. Bear in mind they have discovered a tumour when operating, which needs dealing with asap. Nobody can give us a straight answer.”
Bob’s family have set up a fundraising campaign in the hopes of raising enough money to get him home, which is their top priority. “We will continue to deal with Zurich Insurance when we know Bob is back in the UK,” Amanda added.
The fundraising amount stood at £9,800 on Tuesday morning thanks to generous donations, and the target is £15,000.
If you want to make a donation, click here.