What was supposed to be a fun family vacation for a British family soon turned into their worst nightmare. Natasha Sargeant and Liam Millen traveled to Cancun, Mexico, alongside their three children. All of a sudden, their 19-month-old daughter, Sienna-Rose, collapsed due to a medical emergency that required life-saving surgery. They are now stranded thousands of miles away from home, waiting for her daughter's health to improve.
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According to the Liverpool Echo, the family had been sight-seeing around Mexico at the time. While at their apartment, Sienna-Rose collapsed and started having a seizure on the floor and started vomiting, Sargeant revealed.
This was only the first part of their ordeal as they attempted to bring their daughter to multiple local hospitals. The first one they visited attempted to charge them more than $4,300 upfront for a CT scan and an overnight stay. They refused treatment and drove 30 minutes to the next hospital. Unfortunately, the second hospital's CT machine was broken.
Life-Saving Surgery
The third hospital finally admitted Sienna-Rose. By that time, however, the little girl had vomited "about 50 times," as per Sargeant. A CT scan finally revealed that Sienna-Rose had suffered a hemorrhage, causing her brain to double in size. "Most of the doctors and nurses couldn't speak English and we don't speak Spanish so it was difficult to communicate," Sargeant told The Echo.
Sienna-Rose urgently needed surgery to save her life. "I was beside myself," Sargeant said. "I was begging the surgeon to save her life. He said he did this surgery all the time. His assistant said he was the best neurosurgeon in the country and if she didn't have the surgery she would die."
For three and a half hours, the little 19-month-old Sienna-Rose underwent surgery. The surgeon successfully managed to remove the blood clot in the girl's brain. The surgeon also revealed to the family that Sienna-Rose had this clot for months, calling it a "ticking timebomb."
"It's been absolutely horrendous," Sargeant said. "She is the most happy, lovely little baby. To see her like this is absolutely horrendous. I would never wish what we are going through on anyone."
Road To Recovery
The family, especially Sienna-Rose, are now struggling with the hospital's condition. Reportedly, the hospital does not have air conditioning or paracetamol (commonly referred to by its brand name, Tylenol). Moreover, the hospital only allows one person to accompany the girl at a time. This means that Natasha and Liam have taken turns accompanying Sienna-Rose while also taking care of their children.
Currently, Sienna-Rose is recovering from the operation and only wakes up for a few minutes a day. Following her surgery, according to a GoFundMe update, she caught an infection and is currently on antibiotics. Unfortunately, it appears that her infection hasn't improved. Whether she suffered long-lasting brain damage is still unknown.
"She has not eaten, drank, can not sit up unassisted, can not keep her temperature down and is screaming in pain and the hospital are trying to discharge her," the update reads.
The GoFundMe also revealed that there is a possibility that the family can be transported to their home in Croxteth via a medical flight. However, the British Embassy told them they would have to pay for said flight for themselves, which would cost them "thousands."
