Family desperate to bring Scots granddad home after 'suffering stroke' in Tenerife

A family say they are desperate to bring a Scots grandad home after he suffered a suspected stroke while on holiday in Tenerife.

Colin McLeish was rushed to intensive care at a hospital in Tenerife on Sunday, October 19, after falling ill, with an MRI scan concluded he had suffered a stroke.

The grandad and his wife Anne had been on holiday celebrating his 70th birthday when he fell ill at the airport.

The dad-of-four from Cleland was transferred to a public hospital in Santa Cruz on Wednesday, after the cost of his care in a private facility racked up to more than £10,000 (€12,000).

Colin McLeish suffered a suspected stroke in Tenerife. GoFundMe

It is believed he suffered an ischemic stroke, which occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is blocked or reduced.

His wife Anne and daughter Patricia have stayed with him, with the family footing the bill for accommodation and travel expenses.

The family have been quoted as much as £35,000 to get him home in his current condition, but he is now out of intensive care.

They say they’ve been struggling with a lack of communication with staff in the hospitals about his condition.

More than £23,000 has been raised on a GoFundMe to support the family, who say it is a “huge relief” that he has been transferred.

His family say the ultimate goal is to bring him home to Glasgow to continue his treatment after his travel insurance was revoked.

His son, Alan McLeish, told STV News: “We felt helpless, didn’t know what to do. But we’ve been rallying around each other. It has been hellish at times.

“The doctors have been very open and transparent in the public hospital, saying we have to go back to the start and run full tests again to confirm it was a stroke.

“We’re trying to be a comfort to my mum and sister over there.”

Alan says there have been positive updates after Colin was able to communicate and eat yesterday, and is now in a general ward.

He added: “It was a lot more positive, which has given us more hope that he can make a full recovery and get home.

“We’ve been spinning a lot of plates trying to translate medical documents, trying to decipher it all while dealing with our lives here.

“We’ve been blown away by the support for him. The sense of humanity I’ve seen in the last few days has filled my cup up.

“We’re just at the mercy of time just now.”

You can view the fundraiser for Colin here. The Foreign Office has been contacted for comment.