A blind Dundee man recovering from a brain aneurysm and stuck nearly 2,000 miles away from home says his life has been saved after The Courier and the British consulate helped him source the medicine he needs.
The 62-year-old is supposed to take the drug daily to prevent a repeat aneurysm and was beginning to feel the effects after being forced to take his remaining pills every second day.
Willie has been registered blind ever since suffering the aneurysm around five years ago. It caused hemianopia, meaning he sees blurry shapes within 50 yards.
He told The Courier he felt like he has “won the lottery” after the British Consulate in Gran Canaria heard about his plight and helped source some from a local chemist.
“That feeling of relief was just amazing,” he said.
“I walked into the chemist, showed them the story in The Courier, and told them I had been referred by the British Consulate. She gave me as much as I needed straight away.
“I feel so much more alert now I’m taking my pills properly,” he added. “I’m like a different person now.
“Things had started to build and my head was all mixed up. I was worrying about my medication, my eyes, and a flight. I honestly thought I was going to end up in hospital.”
The former bank worker had been struggling to get a prescription since the island went into lockdown and all flights were cancelled.
He flew out to the popular beach destination for a three-week holiday on March 3 but now faces the prospect of remaining there until the next available flight on June 17.
He added: “I’ve had three flights cancelled so far. One I had booked for May was just cancelled a few days ago.
“When I came here I had no idea all this would happen. It’s difficult not knowing when I’ll be home.
“Everyone here is taking the lockdown measures very seriously, the streets are totally empty. I’m quite bored. Everything is shut so the only thing to do is sit on my balcony. There’s only so much time you can spend sitting without anything to do.
“It looks like I’ll end up staying here for over three months instead of three weeks but that means my Spanish is coming on okay. I’m almost like one of the locals when I go down to get a shop.
“Now I have my medication I will survive and that was the most important thing. I guess it’s a case of waiting it out now.”
