A woman’s dream vacation to Italy turns into a $200,000 nightmare and she remains trapped in a Venice hospital

A retail worker’s dream holiday in Italy turned into a $200,000 nightmare after she suffered a stroke while abroad.

Grace Bradley has been a paraplegic since she was 13, but has become more independent in recent years.

She saved enough money from her job as a cashier at the local supermarket to travel to Italy in June.

It was his first opportunity to travel in his entire life.

But while overseas, Bradley suffered a stroke and is still stuck in a Venice hospital as her family struggles to raise enough money to transport her back to the United States.

“We need her home,” said her grandfather, Tony Bradley. he told WYFF.

“He’s not well and he won’t get better until he gets home.”

Bradley was born with Vodder syndrome, a condition in which normal lymph flow is disrupted.

She became paraplegic at age 13 and has been wheelchair-bound ever since, “battling numerous illnesses, countless surgeries and the loss of her most valuable asset to her own profession: her voice.” according to an online fundraiser.

She was eventually able to land a job as a cashier at the local Publix and is passionate about moving forward with her life as best she can.

“The only thing we can really do to help her sometimes is give her a ride here and there, but she doesn’t mind calling an Uber,” her grandfather explained.

Still, the family was worried about their planned trip.

“We did everything we could to discourage her from going, but at the same time we don’t want to stop her because that wouldn’t be healthy,” the grandfather said through tears.

“She wanted to be independent, like anyone else.”

But on June 26, the family received news that he had suffered a stroke and his grandmother Juli took the first flight she could find to Italy to be by his side.

More than a week later, Bradley remained in the hospital.

In her current condition, she is unable to fly commercially, as doctors say she is stable but can no longer use the left side of her upper body or sit up on her own.

“When she comes home, it will have to be in a medical evacuation vehicle and she will have to be accompanied by a doctor,” Bradley explained.

‘My wife has been in direct contact with the State Department and the embassy in Italy.’

If her condition does not improve, SOS International Philadelphia has estimated that a home medical evacuation could cost up to $195,000.

And because the medical emergency occurred in a foreign country, your Medicaid won’t cover any of the expenses.

Since then his family has created an online fundraiser to help with medical expenses and the costs of returning to the United States.

As of Tuesday morning, more than $48,000 had been raised.