“This is a nightmare, we are distraught.” The one who says it is Gloria, who is Sofía’s mother and mother-in-law of Adrián, the young man from Alzira who remains admitted to the ICU in a hospital in Cancún. A private center that tries to save his life with a daily cost of 8,000 euros, an amount that the family is paying thanks to the aid that has been obtained from the mobilization of family, friends and associations of this population. “This is terrible, but the best thing is the reaction of the people in the town, everyone wants help,” adds this woman.
The story broke yesterday. Adrián and Sofía, along with their seven-year-old son, started a honeymoon a week ago after their recent marriage. The day before returning, the young man jumped into the pool and allegedly suffered a digestive breakdown that caused cardiac arrest followed by drowning. The hotel employees were the first to assist him and he was rushed to the hospital. “Once there they managed to resuscitate his vital signs, but he was still unconscious and they had to move him again to another hospital with more medical resources given the seriousness he was in,” says Marta, Sofía’s sister.
He went into a coma. And the trip turned into a tragedy. Additionally, they had their young son with them, which added complexity to the situation. In conversation with this newspaper, José Bernardo Lobregat, Sofía’s uncle, points out that “she saw that her husband was dying; She spent four minutes with her heart stopped, but it was a miracle and she survived.” The first thing was to get the child out of the situation, so Sofía’s father started a trip that same day with the intention of bringing the minor to Alzira this Saturday.
Then the second problem had to be faced. The health insurance they contracted only offered coverage of 20,000 euros, but the daily hospital expenses are 8,000 euros. Marta says that they contacted the Spanish embassy in Mexico, and it informed them that they could not cover these expenses. Furthermore, given Adrián’s situation, they could not activate an air repatriation because he has 80% of his lungs flooded and the pressure in flight could kill him. “Our hope is that he gets back to normal and can get on a plane,” he adds.
Gloria says that the reports the doctors have given them are “hopeful,” since she has no secondary damage to her body, at the moment. But the problem is the cost of health coverage. Since Sofía made the case public on social networks and among Alzira’s friends, solidarity has been activated. Family, friends, and local festival associations have made financial resources available to the couple. The Sant Roc falla, of which Adrián was a part and of which he has been president, together with the Club la Rabosa de Alzira, are mobilizing. The Ausiàs March school, where Adrián’s son is studying, has called a rally at 9 in the morning and will read a statement.
“We are having a lot of help,” confirms Marta. Even the former mayor of Alzira and regional representative, Elena Bastidas, and the Valencian vice president Susana Camarero have been personally involved.
The next few hours are vital. At the moment, different members of the family point out, they have financial resources, but they fear that the situation could drag on over time: “they have made it clear to us that if we don’t pay, they will go out on the street,” says Gloria. “We need the embassy to get more involved,” adds Marta. Now, all of Alzira is aware of the story of some neighbors who began a pleasure trip to celebrate a wedding and that ended in tragedy.