Lanarkshire teen in Spanish intensive care after her lungs 'filled with blood' on holiday

A Lanarkshire teenager has been in Spanish intensive care for more than a week after she began coughing up blood on holiday.

Wendy and Stephen Meek took their daughter Charlotte from Larkhall to Alicante for the family’s first holiday in two years, January 5, to see the Three Kings Day parade.

However, during the early hours of January 6, the 13-year-old began coughing up and vomiting blood.

After being transported to the hospital by ambulance, doctors told the family that Charlotte had a diffuse alveolar haemorrhage, which is a condition that occurs when the air sacs of the lungs fill with blood.

It can be life-threatening and lead to respiratory failure if left untreated.

The medical team at the University General Hospital, Dr Balis in Alicante, told the family they have exhausted all options.

Charlotte Meek has been on a ventilator for over a week Facebook

Stephen told STV news: “Normally, she is in good health, so when she fell ill, it was a shock to us.

“There have been small improvements, but she is still in critical care. We have gone from being deliriously happy about going on holiday to absolute devastation and watching our child on a ventilator.

“The doctors aren’t sure about what caused this and we might never know what caused it. We were taken into a side room and told there was nothing else they could do.

“It’s down to Charlotte to fight back. I can’t describe the amount of pain we’re in.

“It has been one of the worst experiences of my life.”

The family started a charity last year in memory of their son, Justin Facebook

Charlotte is a wheelchair user and medically known as a SWAN, which is a term used when a child or young adult is believed to have a genetic condition, yet testing has failed to identify the cause

The 13-year-old displays similar symptoms to those with Prader-Willi Syndrome and Angelman Syndrome but is yet to receive a diagnosis.

Stephen and Wendy are now concerned about the long-term impact that the haemorrhage could have on their daughter.

The dad said: “We hope Charlotte pulls through. However, we don’t know what it will look like if she does.

“Doctors can’t rule out that this won’t happen again, and that is a real worry. The medical care she has had is wonderful.

“I can’t thank the team here enough for what they are doing for our daughter.”

The parents founded the charity SMILE last February in memory of their son Justin, who was also medically known as a SWAN.

The ten-year-old died due to a blood clot whilst on a family holiday in Florida in 2014. The charity aims to open a facility for families with children who have a disability or a serious illness in Lanarkshire.