Nurse Nicola Hague is a heart transplant patient who had a devastating stroke at just 18. Nicola’s parents sought Medical Travel Insurance cover from AllClear. This is their AllClear Customer story.
What happened to Nicola?
When Nicola Hague suffered a devastating stroke at the age of just 18, doctors advised her parents Michael and Denise to prepare for the worst. They did not think Nicola would survive the night.
Despite the grave concerns of the medical staff, she pulled through, and today, 34-year old Nicola leads a full and active life, working as a staff nurse at a hospital in Liverpool.
But for Michael, 59, and wife Denise, 57, the years to come would see more complications with Nicola’s health – and as a result taking their daughter on much needed holidays was to become nightmarishly expensive.
What caused Nicola’s stroke?
Nicola’s stroke was brought on by a condition called ‘Bi Ventricular Cardio Myopathy’, which normally affects the left side of the heart.
Unfortunately in Nicola’s case it affected both sides. Back in 1999 Nicola was given a heart transplant. As a consequence, despite her improving health, whenever her family wanted to take Nicola on holiday, Travel Insurance was extortionate. Because of the additional medical complications the family were being charged up to £1,100 for travel insurance for overseas holidays, despite the fact that they had never made a claim.
Nicola’s dad, Michael talked about when they first started looking for insurance for Disney World:
“I tried around many Insurance companies who were either too expensive or did not give me the Medical protection I required to travel to the United States. That was until I came across AllClear Travel. They were a massive help, giving us the cover we needed.”
Nicola’s story
“When I was just 18, I had a stroke that left me with paralysis on the left side of my body and a condition called Homonymous Hemianopia – which means that I can only see on the right side of both my eyes. I then went on to have a heart transplant, which resulted in me being on dialysis in ICU for many weeks. I have since recovered and have a cruise booked for this year, following my trip to Disney World last year.
“The first thing I asked the surgeon following my transplant was whether I’d be able to go to Florida and if I’d be able to make it on all the rides, having always dreamt of going to Disney World.
“AllClear were a massive help in making that trip happen and have been over the many years I’ve been with them, because every quote they have given me has always been cheaper than any other company I’ve tried to use. Most companies have refused to even quote me because of my various conditions but AllClear have always offered me cover which has helped me to travel the world.
“I would gladly recommend AllClear for quality cover. They’ve been an absolute life-saver over the years and have helped me live a full and happy and healthy life post-transplant and stroke. I’ve been able to experience things lots of people aren’t able to and see things I didn’t think I’d ever be able to.
“I want to let people know that you can have a transplant or previous medical conditions and still live a happy life, full of new experiences and travel, whilst getting cover from AllClear. I’ve never had to make a claim but I know that they will be there should I ever need them. In the future I’d love to see more of America and being covered with AllClear will give me the peace of mind and confidence to do so.”
