Eastbourne woman facing 'every mother's worst nightmare' as son becomes stranded in Dubai
An Eastbourne woman is facing ‘every mother’s worst nightmare’ after her son became stranded in Dubai.
Eastbourne resident Cameron, 23, was on a layover in Dubai when he became ‘seriously unwell’ and was hospitalised.
He’d been passing through the country on his way home from India, where he had been presenting his PHD research at a conference.
Shortly after landing in Dubai, the country’s airspace closed as a result of conflict in the Middle East, leaving Cameron unable to get home.
His mum, Fiona, said it is ‘every mother’s worst nightmare’.
"It’s horrendous,” she said.
"He’s obviously worried for himself and has been very stressed, and on top of that he’s been feeling ill.
"He’s 23 and technically an adult but he’s still my child.
"It’s horrible.”
Cameron’s medical bills cost about £1,000 per day, which he and his family have been required to pay upfront, with insurance only able to reimburse costs once he is discharged.
Fiona said: “I will get the money back through travel insurance but it’s been an added stress on top of everything else.”
Eastbourne MP Josh Babarinde raised Cameron’s situation in Parliament on Monday, March 2, and asked Prime Minister Keir Starmer to help ‘get Cameron back to Eastbourne safe’.
Mr Babarinde called for Mr Starmer to outline his evacuation plan and to ensure that the Government prioritises those who are clinically vulnerable for evacuation, where it is medically safe to do so.
In reply, Mr Starmer said: "Cameron and his loved ones must be extremely worried.
“I’ll make sure that we do whatever we can to assist Cameron and his family.”
Speaking after, Mr Babarinde added: “After learning that Eastbourne lad Cameron was stranded in a Dubai hospital, I pledged to his mum that I would do everything possible to get him safe.
“That started with escalating this directly to the Prime Minister in the House of Commons today, and I’m pleased that he has committed to supporting us.
“My team and I will continue to work with the family and relevant authorities to support Cameron’s safe return home”.