A British mother’s dream family holiday away has turned into a nightmare after her 19-month-old toddler suffered a brain haemorrhage in Mexico. Natasha Sargeant, 31, said her youngest, Sienna-Rose, collapsed while mucking around with her brothers in Cancun earlier this week and was rushed to hospital for live-saving surgery to remove a blood clot.
The mum-of-three said she’s waiting to find out if little Sienna-Rose has any lasting brain damage. She told the Liverpool Echo from a Cancun hospital: “I don’t have any words to describe what we have been through – it’s been absolutely horrific.”
Natasha and her partner, Liam Millen, 39, had been sight-seeing in the Central American country with children Harry, 13, Liam, 11, and Sienna-Rose, when the toddler collapsed at their apartment.
Natasha said the family had been packing when Sienna-Rose “dropped to the floor like she was having a seizure”.
The toddler was then “constantly vomiting,” leaving her parents to wonder if she had banged her head. The family rushed her to the nearest hospital but were told it would cost £4,000 upfront for a CT scan and an overnight stay. They were refused treatment.
The family rushed to a second hospital 30 minutes away, only to find out the CT machine had broken down. Natasha said by the time her toddler had been admitted to a third hospital, she had “vomited about 50 times”. A CT scan revealed Sienna-Rose had suffered a haemorrhage, which had doubled in size due to the amount of fluid.
To make matters worse, Natasha said a language barrier meant the family could not communicate with the doctors. She said: “Most of the doctors and nurses couldn’t speak English, and we don’t speak Spanish, so it was difficult to communicate.”
When the surgeon arrived, she begged him to save Sienna-Rose’s life. The surgeon said he did this type of surgery all the time. Natasha said: “His assistant said he was the best neurosurgeon in the country, and if she didn’t have the surgery, she would die.”
Sienna-Rose underwent a three-and-a-half-hour surgery to get the blood clot removed. Natasha said the family had been told the clot had been there for months and was a “ticking timebomb”. The Liverpool mum said: “It’s been absolutely horrendous. 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.”
Natasha said the hospital is stifling hot and has no air conditioning. She said the hospital doesn’t have paracetamol, which has meant Natasha and Liam have been taking turns to find local pharmacies. Natasha said Sienna-Rose needs the medication to bring down her fever and fears she’ll die without it.
She and her partner, Liam, have also had to take turns being by Sienna-Rose’s side because the hospital will only allow one person at a time. The family has rented an apartment near the hospital that is as close to Sienna-Rose as possible.
Natasha said her older boys had been traumatised by the whole situation. She said: “They are devastated that they can’t go and see her. We all just want to get out here. The surgeon says the next steps depend on how she responds to see if there is any lasting damage.”
Sienna-Rose currently has a tube in her head to drain any excess fluid and is only awake for a few minutes at a time. Natasha said if the tube is removed, the hospital will start to wean the toddler onto solid food. The family have no idea how long they’ll be in Mexico and are unsure if Sienna-Rose can fly back.
Natasha said the British Embassy had been in touch and said a medical flight might be Sienna-Rose’s only option. Natasha was told the flight would cost £45k – money the family simply does not have. As a result, Natasha’s sister-in-law, Amy McFadden, has launched a fundraiser to help the family with medical and transport costs.
The mum-of-three said: “We have been getting messages of support but it’s not like people can just jump on a flight because we’re 10 hours away. We really appreciate all the offers of help and support.”
She added: “I can’t describe the feeling over the past three days. It’s been the worst days of our lives. The hardest thing is not knowing. What do we do? We are putting all our trust in the doctors to save Sienna. It feels so lonely. We were supposed to be making memories with the family – it’s absolutely heartbreaking.”