A mum has been left stranded in a Portuguese hospital after she had a stroke in her sleep while on a weekend break with her new husband. Last Sunday (September 20), Shereen Lafferty, 37, woke up during her holiday in Faro unable to speak and with her right side “paralysed”, her “devastated” sister-in-law has said.
The mum-of-one, who married husband Robert, 36, in March, spent around five days in intensive care in the Faro hospital this week, and her condition has thankfully since improved. Sister-in-law Apryll, 32, says Shereen has taken a few steps but is still unable to talk – and she can’t receive speech therapy in English while she remains in Portugal, reports GlasgowLive.
Family’s shock and hope
She said of the ordeal: “It was a complete shock. I was devastated to be honest. Shereen is such a nice person. She’s the type of person that helps everybody and goes above and beyond.
“She’s only 37 – you don’t expect things like this to happen at that age. Obviously it can happen to anybody at any age, however you just don’t expect it to happen to an otherwise healthy person.”
Doctors have advised that Shereen, from Provan Hall in the east end of Glasgow, remain in the hospital for at least two more weeks before she can be transferred on a medically assisted flight home – which will cost the family as much as £25,000. Apryll has launched a GoFundMe to help raise the money needed to get Shereen home safe.
Progress and next steps
Apryll added that her brother Robert – Shereen’s husband – has been “trying to stay positive” and has been issuing regular updates to the family on her condition. She added: “He’s saying that she will be fine as long as she can keep making progress, and that things are going in a positive direction for her.”
The doctors confirmed that it had been a stroke through the night, estimating it had happened between midnight and 7am. “She had been in intensive care since Sunday morning however she’s made some good progress this week. She has been moved today [Friday, September 25] to a normal ward, which is a massive step.”
“She has taken a few steps and is actively trying to speak, but being in Portugal and speaking Portuguese, they can’t offer any speech therapy for her, which is one of the biggest reasons to try and get her home.”
The family have decided to shelter nine-year-old daughter Aria, who is currently staying at Shereen’s mum’s, from the full details of why her parents haven’t returned home from their holiday. Apryll added: “She’s obviously quite upset at her mum being away – she’s used to having her mum all the time, so she’ll be devastated about the fact that she’s not with her right now. But she’s with her gran, who she’s really close to, so she’s okay and being well looked after.”
The concerned family member added that the most important thing at the moment is to get Shereen home to her family. She added: “It’s hard being so far from home without everyone being able to help out and share the load of visits and the emotional stress... I’m just hoping that we can keep going in [a positive] direction and that we can get her home as soon as possible.”
