A mother-of-one from Plymouth, who is battling stage three lung cancer, has shared her fears of becoming seriously ill while being stuck in Dubai due to the ongoing conflict involving suicide drones.
Linzi Stone, 47, expressed her concerns about her worsening health, which she believes is exacerbated by both her medical condition and the stress of being far from home. “I have terrible chest pain, likely caused by the cancer and the stress of being stranded. It’s making my symptoms worse,” she told a news outlet.
She is currently staying at the Palm Atlantis hotel with her husband Paul and their eleven-year-old daughter Summer. The family was originally scheduled to return home last Sunday after a week-long vacation. However, their flight was canceled, leaving them uncertain about when they can leave Dubai.
“We flew Virgin Airways, and the lack of information has been really frustrating. We don’t know when we’ll be able to get out of here,” Linzi added.
The family is also facing financial strain as the hotel continues to charge them £500 per day for their stay. “It doesn’t help that the hotel is still charging us £500 a day to be here.”
Linzi discovered a lump on her collarbone in January, which led to a biopsy and eventually a diagnosis of a lung tumor. “The news absolutely floored me because this type of mutation can affect young women and non-smokers. Up until then, I was fit and healthy.”
This holiday was meant to be a relaxing break before starting chemotherapy, which was scheduled to begin on Friday. Instead, it has turned into a nightmare.
The family first became aware of the situation while in the hotel swimming pool on Saturday. “I didn’t understand at first what was happening. I suddenly became terrified as friends from home were texting me to ask if I was okay. At that moment, a drone was intercepted above our heads, and we all panicked and ran inside.”
They continued to hear explosions and see planes flying overhead throughout the day and night, accompanied by alerts on their phones.
Since then, the family has been restricted to the hotel pool area, with limited movement due to the ongoing situation.
“It’s all been surreal and scary, and the worst part is the lack of information,” Linzi said.
She has reached out to the UK embassy and the airline regarding her urgent medical needs but has received no response. “I’m at a loss about what to do next. It’s an absolute mess. I need to start chemotherapy urgently, and I’m scared about getting very sick out here.”
Tens of thousands of airline passengers are stranded due to the Iran conflict spreading across the Gulf region. Some wealthy travelers are finding ways to escape by paying large sums for luxury flights to Europe via safe airports.
The demand for charter flights has surged, with some people paying up to £175,000. Major airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Doha, Qatar, have been closed since the conflict began.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper mentioned that around 130,000 British nationals have registered their presence in the Middle East.
Harriet Aldridge, a mother who recently moved to Dubai, narrowly avoided a drone strike on her neighbor’s building. She shared her experience with a news outlet.
“It’s been a very surreal 36 hours. We live in an apartment within Town Square, but we didn’t feel safe watching missiles being intercepted directly above our building. Luckily, a friend who had fled to Fujairah offered us her house as an alternative.”
“This was a good decision, as only a few hours later, the apartment block next to ours got hit by a drone that failed to detonate. It was very scary.”
She also mentioned that some of her friends are staying with her. “They came here on holiday for four nights without their children and are desperately waiting to hear when they can fly back.”
Harriet described how she has been keeping busy during this time. “To be honest, it’s felt a lot like lockdown. We’ve been watching movies, playing games, and FaceTiming our families in the UK.”
“Luckily, my daughter is only three, so we told her the bangs were Mr Bull from Peppa Pig digging up the road. She seemed happy enough with that explanation.”
