THERE'S no place like home is definitely the mantra today for a Battisford couple who have finally returned to the UK following a terrifying holiday experience.
THERE'S no place like home is definitely the mantra today for a Battisford couple who have finally returned to the UK following a terrifying holiday experience.
When Pamela and Mike Frere climbed aboard a cruise ship in Liverpool on January 5, little did they know they would be involved in a mid-sea airlift drama after Pam fell seriously ill with a severe infection.
Mrs Frere, 48, had to be winched onto a helicopter the very next day while the ship sailed towards Portugal and was taken to hospital in Spain for an emergency hysterectomy.
After a lengthy recovery period she returned home with her husband some four weeks after their initial departure.
Speaking to The Evening Star from the couple's home in Church Road, Battisford, Mrs Frere said the experience has made her realise how lucky she is.
She said: “It is absolutely wonderful to be back home and out of hospital.
“I felt like a child on Friday when I was taken outside and saw daylight and different colours for the first time in weeks.
“When I was in the hospital and they told me they were going to operate it was very scary.
“I don't know how to describe it.
“The whole experience though has made me realise how lucky I am and how many good friends there are around me.”
Mr Frere, 58, said the experience had been “life-changing” and affirmed his faith in human kindness after he received huge support from the community in Vigo.
While in Spain the couple became celebrities in the town with the dramatic rescue reported in local newspapers.
He said: “There has been a real goodness that has come out of it from the people in Spain.
“There was a bar opposite the hospital and the girls there took me under their wing.
“There were tears when we said goodbye.
"Even in the local supermarket they got to know me and look after me."
“It is good to be back home though - at times I didn't think we would make it back together.
“On two occasions I thought I had lost her.
“It is great to wake up in the morning and look across the valley at Battisford.”
WEBLINK
www.fredolsen.co.uk
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here