British great gran dies on dream birthday holiday in Cuba

A British great grandmother has died on a dream holiday in Cuba after being unable to pay a £20,000 medical bill.

Sheila Dumbleton, from Birmingham, fell seriously ill while on holiday with her husband of 34 years, Raymond.

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The pair had flown to the beach resort of Holguin in Cuba on 6 June for Sheila's birthday.

But six days into the holiday she became unwell. Sheila had an emergency operation for an internal bleed in her stomach, and then caught pneumonia.

She then suffered a stroke and a bleed on the brain. She spent weeks in hospital before passing away on Tuesday.

The couple tried to make an insurance claim while she was ill but were denied.

Sheila's daughter, Erica McCleary (pictured top), had been fundraising to get the money together to pay the medical bill, and is now trying to get the funds to bring her mother's body home.

Speaking to the Birmingham Mail, Erica said: "We are absolutely devastated and our fear now is that they will keep mum until we can pay the bill.

"The bill now stands at £20,000 and I'm sure they will probably keep charging us for keeping mum's body now."

A spokesman for White Horse Insurance Ireland dac, with whom the couple have insurance, told the Mirror: "We were very sorry to hear of Mrs Dumbleton's circumstances. Regrettably, as Mrs Dumbleton's medical history was not disclosed, her claim was not covered by her insurance policy.

"We would like to stress to all holidaymakers how important it is to fully declare any pre-existing medical conditions or ongoing medical investigations when buying travel insurance."