A Northern Irish family say they have been overwhelmed by generosity after they started an online fundraiser to pay for live-saving medical care for their mother, after she became seriously ill while visiting Dubai to help her pregnant daughter.
Lauren Poots told the Belfast Telegraph that the family had been taken aback by the support they have received so far to help her mum, Lesley.
The £100,000 being targeted is only the start of the potential costs for the family, as they could see bills of £1m if their mother’s condition worsens.
Lesley developed sepsis after getting a stomach infection while visiting her daughter in the Middle East.
She is currently in intensive care in a Dubai hospital, and as she lacks medical insurance, the family launched an appeal on GoFundMe on Sunday morning. By mid-afternoon, over £30,000 had been raised.
Lauren said: “It’s been honestly really overwhelming. I was really embarrassed, as the fundraiser was not a route I would ever want to take. But everyone has been so kind and so generous already.
Lesley Poots may require a liver transplant
“The amount of people that have got in touch with the family, and everyone’s generosity: as a family we’re not able to thank everyone in person but we are eternally grateful for the funds we’ve already received.
“We’re incredibly lucky that people are so generous, and hopefully we’re in people’s prayers.”
Lesley has been in Dubai for around 10 days. She came to help Lauren look after her two children during a difficult pregnancy.
The entire household became ill last week with a vomiting bug, but Lesley was hit harder than the others. She passed out in the house last Friday, and her family rushed to hospital.
“They did all bloods and they said oh, she’s got an infection because everyone else in the house is sick.”
Lesley Poots is seriously ill in a hosptial in Dubai
Lesley was discharged some hours later and went back to her daughter’s home. However, her condition severely worsened overnight.
“We went to try and wake her up, because I thought she needs to get fluids in and something to eat.
“And when my husband went to wake her I was following up with a tea and toast, and he found her cold in bed and unresponsive.”
Lauren called the emergency services, and two ambulances arrived within minutes.
“There was about six people working on her. They give her IV drips just to try and stabilise her. At this stage she was completely unconscious.”
Lauren asked for her mother to be taken to a medical clinic, and they were “there within 10 minutes”.
The staff at A&E quickly became concerned Lesley was suffering from sepsis.
“Within an hour they had confirmed that she had sepsis. Her blood sugar was low, her heart rate was low, her blood pressure was low.
“At this stage, they said we need to get her to ICU. Before we could move her to ICU, they needed payment.
“We had to pay a deposit of £10,000 or else they wouldn’t take her.”
The ICU staff stabilised Lesley, who still requires intensive treatment.
“She’s on a life support machine, ventilator, she’s getting kidney dialysis.
“Her kidneys are damaged and her liver is severely, severely damaged.”
The family of Mrs Poots, far right, have started a fundraiser to help with the costs of her care
The hospital staff told Lauren that they were not allowing anyone to visit her mother, as she needed rest and the nature of the care could prove upsetting to the family.
She and her husband left for home that night, and she contacted her family in Northern Ireland to let them know they should come over urgently.
Her two sisters, her aunt and her mother’s partner have all arrived in Dubai, which Lauren say is a huge comfort.
“It’s just nice to have family from home and all come together at this time.
“I know that any decision I make will have their full support, and now that they’re here, it’s a decision we’ll make as a family.”
Their mother’s condition has stayed very serious, and doctors are warning that she may require a liver transplant.
“Because she doesn’t have any health insurance, to get any liver it’s £1m. She would have to travel to Abu Dhabi for the transplant.”
Even bringing Lesley back to Northern Ireland would cost a similar amount of money. With the costs for her care so far already reaching £17,000, Lauren was faced with a very difficult dilemma.
“I thought, we can sell everything we have, but minimum she is going to need close to a £1m for a liver transplant plus everything else.
“I thought, we can’t do this as a family, we need help and we need the community to come together.
“We’re very, very embarrassed to be asking for help. But whenever it’s my mum’s life on the line, I want to try and do everything that I can to give her the best support and the best chance of surviving.
“I just want to thank everyone so far that has donated, and I want to encourage people to share, donate, pray and just keep our family in their thoughts,” she added.