Son describes teacher's stroke moments in Egypt

Recently, the story of teacher Olga Gardikhanova from Tatarstan spread widely online after she fell ill at Sharm El-Sheikh airport — the woman had a stroke. She is now in a coma in a local hospital, and her family is trying to organize transportation back home. Private medical companies are asking for over 13 million rubles (approximately $145,000 at current rates) for the transport.

The editorial staff of 116.RU spoke with Olga«s son, Ruslan Gardikhanov, about what happened and learned what steps the family plans to take next.

51-year-old Olga Gennadyevna works as a primary school teacher at Alexeyevskaya School No. 2. Her son Ruslan works at the same school as a physical education teacher.

‘She has devoted over 30 years to this profession,’ noted her brother Alexey.

‘Complained of Sharp Pain’

It all happened on January 4 when Olga flew to Sharm El-Sheikh with her family for vacation. According to Ruslan, at first his mother felt well — she didn«t complain about anything, laughed and joked. But after some time, her condition sharply worsened: she developed a severe headache and shortness of breath.

‘Our flight was delayed for nine hours, so we arrived in Egypt late in the evening. We stood in line for the visa and began filling out documents. Mom and my younger sister sat down nearby. Literally after a few minutes, she felt unwell: she broke out in sweat, first complained of a sharp pain in half her head, and then stopped answering our questions and only sighed heavily from pain,’ our interlocutor said.

Ruslan immediately suspected that his mother had heart problems: according to him, Olga Gennadyevna had previously suffered an ischemic stroke and undergone an operation during which a stent was installed. The son gave her validol and went to call for help. The man also said that his mother had problems with blood pressure and diabetes.

‘The problem was that no one understood Russian. During this time, mom lost coordination, and speech was practically absent. The local ambulance arrived. No one understood what was wrong with her, they started measuring her blood pressure and sugar, and then gave her some medicine. Together with the doctors, we laid her on the floor, and literally within a few seconds, mom fell asleep. The doctors began to nod and say that this was normal, but almost immediately after that, she began to turn blue,’ the woman’s son said.

After that, Olga Gennadyevna urgently began resuscitation, and Ruslan performed artificial respiration. However, after unsuccessful attempts, the woman was carried on a stretcher to the ambulance and taken to the hospital. Later, relatives were informed that the teacher had a cardiac arrest lasting about 30 minutes, but medics managed to restart it.

‘The Trip Was Planned Two or Three Months Ago’

‘After a brain tomography was done, it turned out that she had a severe intracerebral hemorrhage. Since that day, mom has been in a deep coma and is breathing through a ventilator. On January 12, she underwent three consecutive operations that lasted nine hours: they reduced intracranial pressure, removed most of the hematoma, and placed a drain,’ Gardikhanov said.

He added that from the very beginning, doctors gave no prognosis regarding Olga Gennadyevna’s condition.

On January 14, the family’s tour ended, and they had to return home — mom remained alone in the hospital in Egypt.

‘We planned the trip, probably, two or three months ago. We went on vacation: me, my 15-year-old sister, mom, and my fiancée,’ he added.

At the moment, treatment in the hospital is paid for by the insurance company, but according to Ruslan’s interlocutor, the allocated amount may not be enough in the coming days.

‘At the Egyptian embassy, we were told that mom could be transported in about a week — that’s what the doctors said. Now we are deciding how the transportation will proceed: whether the state will help us or we will have to turn to a private organization. We are currently dealing with this issue,’ Ruslan said.

‘People Are Helping’

However, a serious problem remains: for the transport, a specially equipped aircraft is needed, and such transportation will cost 13.5 million rubles (approximately $150,000 at current rates) — for the family, this is an unaffordable amount. Therefore, Olga’s close ones and acquaintances opened a fundraiser, spread the information in local publics, and through joint efforts, managed to collect part of the necessary amount.

‘People are helping, we have collected some money, but so far it’s not much — a little over a million. This is very little,’ he noted.

The Pirogov Disaster Medicine Service contacted Olga’s family. Possibly, specialists can help with transportation, but there is no definite answer yet. The family is awaiting a decision.

‘Olga is currently still in a coma. We are waiting for the doctors’ permission to transport her to Russia: only when the doctors stabilize her condition and prepare her for the flight will the flight be possible,’ added Olga’s brother, Alexey.

If you want to help the Gardikhanov family — the editorial office has contact information.