'Our 11-day dream cruise became nightmare in just 48 hours and ended in hospital'

A man has told how a dream turned horrifically when he became ill and his wife thought he “wasn’t going to make it”.

Jeff Gibb, 73, and his Jan, from Western were on an 11-day trip on Princess Cruises going from Fremantle to Singapore but they had to leave it inand Jeff was rushed to hospital, it is reported.

He spent three days in intensive care and a further three in total in after suddenly becoming unwell onboard, just two days into the trip, and quickly going “downhill”.

“We were on our way to dinner and I just felt really nauseous and I told my wife to go ahead without me as I wasn’t feeling too flash,” Jeff reportedly said.“I headed back to the cabin and just deteriorated from there.”

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Blood tests and X-rays were taken on the cruise liner and he was found to have pneumonia as well as a severe liver infection. He told how he realised how unwell he was when he was asked to sit up in hospital.

“I didn’t think I was that crook but I obviously was – so much so when I was in ICU and needed to sit up, I couldn't and had to have staff help me and that’s when the penny dropped,” he told . “I was put on two different antibiotics and in time, started to feel better which came as a relief to my wife and one of my three sons, who flew to Bali to help.”

Tearfully he also said how his wife thought he “wasn’t going to make it” during the first night in hospital. But thankfully he recovered and his insurance was able to cover the bills. The travel insurance he spent on the trip came to $1,074 (£552) but in the end the cost of transport and medical bills came to $35,215 (£18,000).

“[They] started to pay our hospital bills before I was discharged – which helped us have a good relationship with the hospital. They booked our airfares home and made sure, along with the doctor, it was safe for me to fly,” Jeff added.