Norwegian Cruise Line forced an 80-year-old woman who suffered a stroke and possible heart attack to “medically disembark” on an African island and “left her to die,” her family said.
That was Wednesday, March 27, and the cruise line never called Julie Lenkov’s emergency contact number, and she said she spoke with her family once between Wednesday and Monday and received no response. the family said.
Coincidentally, two days later, on March 29, six Americans and an Australian were taken to the same African island of São Tomé by Norwegian Cruise Line after their tour guide was delayed and the captain refused to allow them to board the ship. Two passengers were stranded. .
South Carolina couple Jay and Jill Campbell were among the eight left behind. “They are heroes,” Lenkov’s son-in-law Kurt Gies told FOX News Digital. “They saved our mother.”
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Julie Lenkov, 80, (right) is back at the hospital with her family, including her daughter Lana (left). (Facebook)
Gies said authorities on the island told the group that another American had been left without money or identification.
At that time, the Campbells learned that Lenkov was in a medical facility somewhere, so they decided to pay for the medical, food and hotel costs themselves and connect her with family, Gies said. .
“It was as if our mother never existed,” Gies said, calling the only statement released by the cruise line over the weekend “false propaganda being pushed by Norwegian Cruise Line.”
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“The bottom line is that Julie Lenkov was not part of the group that was delayed in returning to the ship,” he said. “They consistently treated her with her other members as being late to her ship and took no responsibility for her care.
“All they did was send her to a local clinic, which completely misdiagnosed her condition and released her to fend for herself.”
Julie Lenkov (right) and her daughter Lana at the Hamilton Theatre. (Facebook)
Julie Lenkov, 80, was photographed on the phone with family in the United States after being stranded on an African island and being taken into custody by family in South Carolina. (Jill and Jay Campbell)
“They didn’t have to save her. They were scared to death and were trying to get back to the ship and they could have just left,” Gies said. “Instead, they took in a stranger and ensured her safety.”
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The Campbells and six other passengers, including a pregnant couple from Delaware, worked through their own failures to figure out how to catch up with the ship, while working with the Gies to bring Lenkov back to the United States.
The best of the worst options, Gies said, was a 30-hour flight from São Tomé to Lisbon, Portugal, to Toronto and then to Stanford Hospital in California, where “nobody was even sure if she was going to survive.” “Ta”.
Julie Lenkov was smiling before being taken off a Norwegian cruise on an African island due to a medical emergency and left stranded there. (Facebook)
Julie Lenkov walks on the African island of Sao Tome with the help of Jay Campbell. (Jill and Jay Campbell)
But Lenkov, who her family described as “the toughest, most independent woman,” was safely returned home and admitted to the hospital, but she is still receiving medical treatment, Gies told Fox News Digital on Monday night. I was receiving it.
He said her condition was improving, but she was blind and had problems on the right side of her body while in Africa.
Lenkov, who has visited 120 countries and speaks 10 languages, relied on French while at a medical facility on the African island, but they could not understand her and realized she was American. I didn’t even know that, Giese said.
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Giese said she was “luckily” cared for by the Campbells and the rest of the group of eight who were left behind after about 24 hours of treatment.
Lenkov’s daughter, Lana Lenkov Wilken Gies, wrote on Facebook just after 2 a.m. Monday: “She’s back and doing well! She’s currently undergoing an electrocardiogram.” “She definitely looks more like her old self! Getting better every day! Thank you for everyone’s prayers!”
Julia Lenkov arrived at a hospital in California after a 30-hour flight from an African island, but suffered a medical emergency while on a cruise. (Facebook)
Julie Lenkov’s daughter Lana, pictured with her husband Kurt, spent the weekend trying to bring her beloved matriarch home alive. (Facebook)
Lana and Kurt were on a “relaxing” Easter trip to enjoy the California sun, but it was interrupted by a cruise ship failure and days of radio silence.
The company’s initial statement to the press over the weekend about the eight people stranded did not mention Lenkov’s situation.
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“They (Norwegian Cruise Line) initially said, ‘We’re sorry, there’s nothing we can do,’ and that was it,” Gies said of his initial contact with the cruise line.
“They had no answers about what happened, why her emergency contacts weren’t called, who was caring for her, where she was.”
Julie Lenkov (far right) and her family. (Facebook)
Giese said the Campbells were the only people who cared about him, calling them “heroes.”
“In this whole situation, we saw the duality of humans. Jill and Jay saved our mother when she didn’t have to. The giant corporations that have all the money to bring home did nothing. They couldn’t.” They don’t even give us an answer. ”
Lenkov has a goal of visiting 130 countries and had saved up $20,000 for the trip before travel was banned due to the coronavirus.
“She was so excited about this,” he said. “She lives to travel and this is the end. This was her last trip for her.”
Julie Lenkov (center) with her daughter (left) and granddaughter (right). (Facebook)
Norwegian Cruise Line’s response to Lenkov
Gies and his wife were furious that Norwegian Cruise Line refused to acknowledge Lenkov for several days.
Norwegian Cruise Line released a statement over the weekend saying the Campbells, a pregnant Delaware woman and her husband, and four other passengers departed after a delay in returning from an excursion.
Norwegian Gateway cruise ship docks at Port Miami on January 7, 2022 in Miami, Florida. The cruise company allegedly stranded passengers during a trip to Africa in March 2024. (Joe Radle/Getty Images)
Even if the ship is still on the island and the island’s coast guard takes the passengers to the ship, technically Norwegian is the only company that would deny entry to the passengers in order to keep their three-week trip on schedule. That’s the cruise line’s right.
But that statement, included below, never mentioned the 80-year-old woman who suffered a medical emergency left behind by the cruise ship.
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Fox News Digital received the statement early Tuesday morning, 24 hours after asking questions about both situations.
“During the same voyage, on March 27, 2024, a completely unrelated guest was examined by the ship’s medical team, who subsequently determined it was best to disembark for further testing and treatment if necessary. Another unfortunate incident occurred at a local hospital,” the cruise line said in an email.
The 80-year-old woman, who did not wish to be named, said: “After being evaluated by the ship’s medical team, she was medically disembarked. The medical team considered it best to proceed to a local hospital for further tests and treatment if necessary.” .
You can see a Norwegian cruise ship sailing. (Reuters/Gary Cameron)
Full text on Lenkov’s situation
“Once she disembarked, our care team immediately sprang into action to assist our guests,” the cruise line said in a statement.
“We attempted to call the guest several times but were unable to reach him, so we worked directly with the port agent in the African island nation of Sao Tome and Principe to obtain updated information about the guest.
“In these cases, as the guest has been discharged from the hospital and is in normal condition, our protocol is to inform the guest that we do not have the authority to share medical details with anyone without the guest’s explicit consent. to contact you directly.
“The guest was then escorted onto a flight to Lisbon, Portugal, where he continued his journey to the United States under the care of airport staff and has now safely returned home.”
Julie Lenkov’s daughter and son-in-law, Lana Giese and Kurt Giese, are happy to be home and thank Jay and Jill Campbell for taking care of their family. . (Facebook)
Lenkov’s daughter expresses her gratitude
Lana thanked everyone who posted caring thoughts about her mother.
“Thank you all for your posts (regarding my previous post about my mom),” Lana wrote. She said: “Sao Tome is very primitive and there are no hospitals that can properly treat her. She was on a group tour organized by the museum’s cruise line when she collapsed and was unconscious.
“We don’t know who or how they contacted her to get her to the limited medical clinic. What we do know is that she never called any emergency contacts. All I know is that she was left behind by Norwegian Cruise Line with her wallet, credit cards, etc. It could be travel insurance documents at the clinic or a note for her to read when she finds out.”
When Lana finally regained consciousness, she said she didn’t remember anything about what happened, but that she was rescued by “good Samaritans” who she later identified as Jay and Jill Campbell.
The two couples have been in touch with each other in recent days.
Norwegian Cruise Line’s weekend-wide statement
“While this is a very unfortunate situation, guests are responsible for ensuring that they return to the ship at the published time, which will be widely communicated via the ship’s intercom and posted in daily communications and immediately prior to disembarkation. .
“Guests will be responsible for all necessary travel expenses to re-board the ship at the next available port of call. If the guest does not return to the ship by the full boarding time, the passport will be handed over to the local port agent. and was recovered upon arrival.” Returned to port.
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“Our team is working closely with local authorities to understand the requirements and required visas for guests to re-board the ship at the next available port of call. We are in contact with the guest and will provide additional information as it becomes available.” ”
