Credit: DisneyA huge fundraising campaign has been launched to bring back a family trapped in France after one of their party suffered cardiac arrest at Disney.
Whether you’re at Disneyland Resort or Tokyo Disney Resort, Disney theme parks worldwide are built to immerse guests in pure magic. However, while Mickey Mouse may have his gloves at the controls of most elements of the theme park experience, sometimes there are incidents that even he can’t control.
This was the case at Disneyland Paris recently when a man suffered a cardiac arrest at the French theme park resort, with his family subsequently left stranded.
Rob Fishpool and his family had journeyed from New Marske near Redcar to Disneyland Paris for his granddaughter’s third birthday. The resort is home to two theme parks, Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios Park – soon to become Disney Adventure World – and packed with iconic attractions such as Sleeping Beauty Castle, Big Thunder Mountain, Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain, and Avengers Campus.
However, they saw their celebration sadly cut short.
As per Yorkshire Live, he is now in a French hospital’s ICU, on a ventilator, with their holiday plans halted.
Due to a pre-existing medical condition, Fishpool couldn’t secure travel insurance for the holiday. As a result, the family is now stranded in France, unable to bring him home.
The group is now trying to cover the costs of nearby accommodation while Fishpool remains in the hospital. One of their friends—Chloe Jones-Lunn, a nurse at James Cook Hospital and a friend of Rob’s daughter—has since launched a GoFundMe page to help with the financial burden. At the time of writing, this has already raised £6,945 ($9,113 USD) towards the £10,000 ($13,100 USD) goal.
As per this page, Fishpool’s transfer back to the UK will cost approximately £18,000 ($23,600 USD) if he is receiving a high level of care, or it could be £7,500 ($9,800 USD) if he is stable enough for a normal ambulance.
“Some of you may know Rob sadly suffered a cardiac arrest whilst on a family holiday in Disneyland Paris to celebrate his granddaughter’s 3rd Birthday, he is currently in ICU on a ventilator,” Jones-Lunn wrote on the page. “Although he isn’t ready yet, we’re hoping he will be able to come home to a UK hospital soon to continue his recovery.”
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She went on to add: “I’ve known Michelle and Rob for nearly half my life and they’ve always treat me as family, no one deserves this but especially not them. I didn’t want them to have to burden this alone so wanted to as if anyone would be willing to donate anything towards the costs. Thank you in advance.”
Inside the Magic’s thoughts are with Fishpool’s family at this time.