British gran, 76, fighting for life in hospital in Florida after getting Covid on 'last holiday' - family face £80k cost to get her back to UK
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Patricia Bunting, 76, went to Florida with her sons and grandson for a holiday that was supposed to be the trip of a lifetime. However it turned into a holiday from hell as she was struck down with viruses.
She was left suffering from both Covid and the flu and is now in critical care in Orlando, while her family face soaring medical bills. Her loved ones are now desperately trying to get her back home to the UK.
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Hide AdHer daughter, Emma Bunting, has described her as "the heart of our family". She said of Patricia, who comes from Wigan in Greater Manchester: "She's the glue that holds us together. My brothers, her grandsons, and I are desperate to get her home."


The family said Patricia had been saving for the holiday for two years and hoped would be her last chance to make special memories with loved ones. They added Patricia was unable to afford the travel insurance for her trip, and they are now facing steep medical costs from her five-day stay in intensive care, and ongoing critical care.
Emma has set up a GoFundMe campaign to help with the costs of getting her mum home. She added: "We are facing the impossible. My mum is 76 years old, and a pensioner - she saved for two years to go on this holiday, and it was meant to be her last trip abroad with my brothers and my son. In the past, she has always taken travel insurance (and never had to use it) but when she looked into insurance for this trip, the quotes were far too out of reach for her means (£3,000+).
“Without medical insurance, the mounting hospital bills and critical care expenses have placed us in an impossible situation. We believe her only chance for a stable recovery is to get her back to Wigan, England, where she can be surrounded by her loved ones and access continued medical care. However, the cost of air ambulance transport, alongside her ongoing treatment, is far beyond what we can manage on our own.
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Hide Ad“Mum is the heart of our family, she is the one who holds us together. She also has three sons and two grandsons who love her dearly, and we are hoping to give her the fighting chance she needs to recover.”
In a latest update to the donation page Emma thanked everyone for their support so far but added that her mum is still “really unwell”. She added: “Mum is still really unwell, she is bedbound and dependant on continuous oxygen.” She said that her mum is “still facing significant health challenges” and “is battling a second bout of bacterial pneumonia, for which she is being treated with IV antibiotics, has suffered a gastrointestinal bleed (which thankfully she has now recovered from) and also blood clots in her legs.”
She added: “She remains on continuous oxygen as her levels have been fluctuating between 80-90%. We are currently awaiting an update from the hospital regarding the estimated cost of treatment and they are also supporting us with exploring options for her to return home safely.
“We have independently spoken to a wide-range of medical assisted flight providers, both in the UK and USA, but the lowest quote received is circa £80,000. In an ideal scenario, we are hoping mum's health starts to improve, and her breathing stabilises, so there are cheaper options to consider.” Gemma hopes that the family will have more of a “plan solidified” this week.
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