A British man is fighting for his life in Spain after suffering a seizure and striking his head during a family holiday.
Paul Grant, 43, developed seizures earlier this year after being violently mugged. Following an especially difficult period, he had hoped to give his family a break with a holiday in Lanzarote.
However, on the first night of their stay at an all-inclusive hotel, Mr Grant’s mother woke to find him covered in blood. He had suffered a seizure and apparently hit his head against a wall.
He was taken to hospital and placed in a medically induced coma after his liver and kidneys went into failure.
Mr Grant was later airlifted to another hospital on the island of Gran Canaria, where he is receiving intensive care treatment.
His sister, Kimberly Sharp, said doctors carried out emergency surgery after discovering he was suffering from severe pressure on the brain. The right side of his skull was removed during the operation.
Mr Grant remains sedated, while his family say they have spent more than £1,500 on flights and accommodation to stay at his bedside.
Ms Sharp has launched a GoFundMe appeal, which has raised more than £5,000 to help cover the family’s expenses.
Paul Grant, 43 (pictured right), is fighting for his life in Spain after hitting his head during a seizure on a family holiday
Mr Grant is pictured in hospital as he receives medical treatment
‘He just wanted to make some nice family memories and have a good time,’ Ms Sharp, from Windsor, Berkshire, said.
‘A couple of months ago he got beaten up in Newcastle and had a seizure.
‘He was jumped for his wallet and his phone, he was put into hospital and hasn’t been the same since.
‘That’s why this family holiday was so important to him,’ she added.
‘It was all-inclusive for a week in Lanzarote. We had a good first day, hung out by the pool and had a bit of dinner.
‘I woke up to my mum banging on my door at 5am because Paul had a seizure and had fallen and banged his head in the hotel room.
‘He was covered in blood, it was in the hallway, we think he banged it on the wall.
‘My mum did everything she could. She woke up to the noises he was making, she tried to put him on his side so he didn’t swallow his tongue.
‘He was bleeding from his head and his nose and still having a fit. We went down to the reception to get an ambulance.
‘He kind of came to and he was really confused, he had no idea what was going on.
‘He was talking like he had had a stroke, my mum went in the ambulance with him to the hospital.
Pictured: Mr Grant with his sister Kimberly Sharp, who has set up a GoFundMe to cover her family’s expenses as her brother remains in hospital
‘My mum was told to wait and at about 9am they told her he was in intensive care.
‘A doctor said their hospital wasn’t equipped to deal with his injuries, he has a bleed on the brain, [and] he was going to have to be airlifted to Gran Canaria.
‘At about 5pm my mum received a call saying they needed to do the surgery to try and save his life [as] the pressure on his brain was too much.
‘[They said] if they didn’t do the surgery he would die. They rang for permission and did it then and there.’
Despite Mr Grant’s surgery having no complications, his sister said he’s ‘not out of the danger zone yet’.
‘Half his skull was removed on his right-hand side. He’s not quite out of the danger zone yet, a part of his brain is severely damaged.
‘He was put into a medically induced coma because his liver and kidneys were failing. He’s not awake now, I’m devastated,’ she said.
‘He’s still highly sedated but he can hear us. He is connected to all the tubes but not on life support, which is a good thing.’
