Family of grandad in coma on Benidorm holiday hit with £30,000 hospital bill

A Scottish grandad, who fell seriously ill while on holiday in Spain, has accumulated £30,000 in medical bills.

John Hollis, a 73-year-old from Castlemilk in Glasgow, was rushed to hospital in Benidorm after his kidneys began to fail. The pensioner was enjoying a trip with a friend when he suddenly fell ill. Doctors warned his family that he was "likely to die", prompting them to rush to his side.

After five days in an induced coma, John was taken off life support. He is now in a more stable condition, but remains in intensive care.

His son, John Jnr, 43, said: "My dad went out to Benidorm with his pal Archie on October 2 for a week. He was enjoying himself on the first day but then he started unwell.

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"I got the dreaded call from doctors saying that he was going to die and that I needed to get out there as soon as possible. When me and my partner Laura arrived, it was looking bad - it was devastating to see. His kidneys had failed, he was on dialysis and this was leading to multiple organ failure.

"As we waited his stats seemed to get slightly better the next day. Then the next day they got better again. I can't believe it but we're now in a place where he is sitting up and eating soup. He has fought like a bear.

"However, he is still needing oxygen and has been badly hallucinating. It could be the effects of the induced coma but he'll still be here for a while yet," reports .

John is currently fighting for his life in intensive care, with the costs soaring and the private hospital demanding payment. He had medical insurance through his bank, but there's a dispute over his pre-existing conditions.

His son, John Jr, explained the dire situation: "The local community hospital wouldn't take him in so he ended up at the private hospital", adding, "In a way, I'm glad he did as I think they saved his life but it's just so expensive."

He continued: "My dad just thought he was covered through his insurance which he pays every month. They are disputing that he has not told them he had pre-existing medical conditions but he actually hasn't had a proper diagnosis so there's nothing he could say."

The family believes his kidney failure was triggered by his diabetes medication, a point they plan to contest later.

For now, they're reaching out for financial help. John Jr added: "Medics believe his kidney failure was caused by the diabetes prescription he has been on. We'll fight that when the time comes but we've had to reach out to see if people could donate to help us.

"It has been amazing, nearly £12,000 so far and we're just overwhelmed. We are hopeful that he will make this through." AIG insurance has been contacted for comment.

To support John's medical expenses, you can contribute to his fundraiser by clicking .