A couple from the UK who had planned a quick holiday before the arrival of their son, are stranded in Portugal following a dramatic series of events. Tequilla Huntley and David Barnett travelled to Faro on October 12 for a brief four-night getaway before their baby’s due date, but have found themselves stuck after their son was born prematurely.
The pair, both employees at Espex Batteries in Barry, Wales, were enjoying some downtime on sun loungers when Ms Huntley started bleeding. A nurse who was also on holiday noticed and rushed to help and an ambulance was called.
The 25-year-old was quickly taken to hospital where she underwent an emergency C-section due to a placental abruption, reports Wales Online.
Doctors informed Mr Barnett, 42, that both Tequilla and their unborn child were at serious risk with only a 50/50 chance of survival. Thankfully, both mother and baby pulled through, and the new parents were overjoyed to meet their beautiful baby boy, Kobe.
However, as he was born extremely prematurely, Kobe was immediately admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit at the Portuguese hospital.
Kobe’s health meant he needed assistance with breathing, specialist treatment for his fragile skin, and dedicated feeding support. At birth, he suffered a brain bleed, though it was rated as the least critical type.
He weighed just two pounds, but he’s been steadily recovering and putting on weight. He remains in an incubator, and the hospital continues to help build his strength with his parents unwaveringly by his side.
Ms Huntley described the ordeal: “It’s been a traumatic experience to say the least. We’ve been extremely lucky to have so much support from friends and family back home.
“However, it’s a very isolating feeling being over in Portugal, so far away from the comforts of home. We’ve been lucky enough to have had nurses and doctors that speak a little English, but the language barrier in a situation like this, where we just want to know if our baby is ok has been really hard, on top of trying to recover and adjust to our new surroundings, unsure of when we’ll be able to get home.”
The couple’s desire is to return with little Kobe to the UK to access targeted neonatal care, where his parents can be actively involved in his care, supported by family and friends. However, while their travel insurance addresses Kobe’s immediate healthcare and accommodation abroad, it stops short of funding the air ambulance needed for his trip home.
Lia’s Wings, the sole UK charity devoted to aiding families with preterm infants stuck overseas, boasts the necessary teams, resources, and aircraft ready to safely repatriate little Kobe back to his family in Cardiff. With a collaborative effort from Kobe’s relatives, they’ve managed to gather £15,000 for the air ambulance expenses. However, there remains an urgent need for another £12,250 to cover the transfer costs.
Mr Barnett’s sister, Claire Savoury, is campaigning to raise the much-needed funds through a GoFundMe page, which has so far received approximately £5,400 in donations. She shared her family’s ordeal: “With them being out there on their own it must be hell. My brother rang my mum initially and told her he was at the hospital and explained what happened, and that they had told him it was 50/50 whether Tequilla and Kobe would survive.
“He was absolutely breaking his heart. Luckily both of them were ok. When it’s one of your own, it makes you realise, these things do happen in the world.
“Even people that we don’t know have sent us anonymous donations, and other people have donated when they haven’t got much themselves. It makes you feel really emotional and tugs at your heart strings. People are donating as little as they can but it makes a huge difference to the whole.”
You can visit the GoFundMe page by clicking here.