Brit woman, 24, stranded in African hospital after freak swimming accident leaves her paralysed with spinal injury
A BRIT holidaymaker has been paralysed and stranded in hospital thousands of miles from home after a freak accident on a beach.
Charline Edwards, 24, has been told she has to fork £38,000 to be flown back from Cape Verde after being taken out by a wave and smashing her spine on the seabed.
The sales agent, from Birmingham has been unable to fly back to the UK - where medics would be able to treat the severe nerve damage to her spine.
Instead, unable to move her arms or legs, she remains stuck in a shabby hospital where she has reportedly been manhandled by doctors.
Charline had been holidaying on the island with boyfriend Callum Aston, 28, when she was swept out to sea by a massive wave last Thursday.
Sales manager Callum said: "The water was a little choppy but nothing too serious. The flags were green, telling us it was safe to swim.
"We were less than waist-deep in the water, Charline was lying on her back floating in the water relaxing. Suddenly a very big wave landed on top of her.
"When I eventually stood up myself from the wave, she was nowhere to be seen.
“She was about 20 yards down into the water, where it had dragged her back out to sea, when I managed to find her."
Callum said that the blow to Charline's back left her unable to feel anything other than “excruciating pain”.
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He also revealed that lifeguards left her waiting on the beach for almost three hours as they tried to arrange an ambulance.
Callum added: "Eventually the lifeguards came over but at that time, she couldn't move anything from her neck down.
“But the lifeguards were trying to drag her by her arms and legs up the beach. I said: 'You can't do that, she's hurt her back, it's going to cause more damage.'
"I was begging for help, asking them to call an ambulance.
“It took them more than 30 minutes for them to call an ambulance and over two hours for paramedics to arrive on the beach.
"After the two hours the hotel manager went and got a wheelchair for disabled guests and we had to carry the wheelchair off the beach.
“So from the minute of the accident, it took over three hours while she was lying in excruciating pain, shouting and calling for help.”
And she has since spent the past four days in an “abysmal” Cape Verdean hospital - where medics will not even change her sheets.
Callum went on: “She has very severe nerve damage through her arms, to the point that even the tiniest grain of sand on her arm can put her in excruciating pain.
“The receptionist has come into her room and leaning on her arm whilst asking for email addresses so she can send the bill.
“She’s had doctors intentionally kick her bed and squeeze her arm to see if she’s in pain and left her in her own urine for two days because doctors won't change the sheets.”
The couple forgot to get travel insurance for the last-minute getaway and have since been slapped with a staggering £10,000 hospital bill.
Yet, the price of their holiday is only going to rocket further - with an air ambulance to get her back home costing an eye-watering £38,000.
Callum added: “We're worried that, if we can't get her home, her injury could become long-term because there's no MRI scanner on the island so we can't see how extensive the nerve damage is."
Callum's mum, Julie, has since set up a fundraiser to help Charline pay the costs.
Julie said: "I have been on several calls to the British Embassy who refuse to help and also the travel company who they booked it from.
"Cape Verde is not equipped to deal with her level of treatment and she could end up paralysed if not treated soon.
"Charline is only 24 they both are very frightened and need to come home as soon as they can."
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Currently, over £8000 out of the £38,000 needed to get her home has been donated.
The fundraiser can be found on GoFundMe.