Linzi has only just been diagnosed with the rare illness
A Plymouth woman says she is terrified her health is deteriorating after being left stranded in Dubai with stage three cancer. Linzi Stone is due to start chemotherapy for a rare form of lung cancer on Friday, but flights home have been cancelled after conflict erupted across the Gulf in the wake of the US-Israeli war with Iran.
Linzi, 47, who has never smoked was only diagnosed with EGFR-positive lung cancer a few weeks ago. She has had no treatment and has no idea if she will be back in time for her first scheduled session. Linzi, husband Paul, 54, and daughter Summer, 11, are staying in a hotel on The Palm near Jebel Ali Port which was affected by debris from an intercepted missile.
“I only got diagnosed at the beginning of February,” she said. “I’ve not been sick with it at all. I haven’t started any treatment yet. My doctor said it was OK for us to travel for a short break before starting chemo.
“I was booked in for Friday. Obviously we are now stuck in Dubai with no information about how we are getting home or when. I am getting chest pains from the stress.
“It’s mostly anxiety thinking the cancer is getting worse without treatment. I feel like my health is getting worse. For me it is really stressful and if something happens to me or I go downhill, what do we do?
“I just want to get home and start my chemotherapy. And my life actually does depend on it.
“There was a drone intercepted above the hotel on Saturday, which was scary. Saturday night was very turbulent but it has been quiet since. Some friends of ours moved from the hotel we are in to a different area and they received new alerts on their phones to take cover.
“Thankfully, we have not where we are.”
A Virgin Airways flight was booked for Wednesday, but Linzi had no idea if the flight would actually take off. She said: “At the moment Virgin says our flight is still going ahead. But I’m not sure if it will be going.”
Husband Paul added: “It’s frustrating. My wife is obviously desperate to get home and start her chemotherapy, and panicking that every day she misses the chemo things are going to get worse. So it’s not a good place to be.
“We haven’t had a lot of sleep. There are a lot of fighter jets going across the skies and drones being shot down. That was quite intense, and when you have a young family, they are panicking a bit to say the least.”
Paul said he was doing everything he can to support his wife and 11-year-old daughter. “Obviously, when you have bombs going off, she does get frightened,” he said. “For my wife, with everything she’s been going through already, this is an issue she doesn’t really need in any way, shape or form.”
