(NewsNation) — An 80-year-old American woman who suffered a stroke while on African island tour during a Norwegian Cruise Line vacation was left stranded along with six Americans and two Australians, forced to find their way back to the U.S., according to her family.
Julie Lenkoff suffered a "significant stroke and potential heart attack" last week while on a tour off the island of São Tomé, Lenkoff's son-in-law Kurt Gies said Wednesday on "Morning in America."
Gies said tour operators notified ship personnel who informed them to take Lenkoff to a local hospital. She was released 24 hours later; however, she was never treated for a stroke and was left to fend for herself.
"She was released the next day — without any money, without any credit cards, because she was advised not to bring them because the island doesn't really take US currency — she was basically turned over by the tour operators to the other Americans that were stranded because they had missed the ship's movement," Gies said.
Gies said a couple from South Carolina, Jay and Jill Campbell, assumed "the role of caretaker," providing housing, food and water and assisting Lenkoff. He added that after she fell, Lenkoff no longer spoke English and only spoke French, which she rarely spoke.
"She complained of numbness up and down to the right side of her body, all classic signs of a stroke," he said. "But nobody treated her for a stroke, and that's the really sad part of all this."
During this time, the cruise personnel never contacted Lenkoff's family, even though they were listed as emergency contacts, Gies said in a Facebook post.
"We talked to the American Consulate in Angola, and they basically said we've had situations with Norwegian in the past where we can't even contact them. So, you are not going to have much luck. So, it is up to you to figure out how to get your mother-in-law the care that she needs."
Gies said the family spent the next 36 hours making arrangements to get Lenkoff back home. Lenkoff returned to California on Sunday; however, she suffered another stroke Tuesday and is in "serious condition," recovering at Stanford Medical Center, he said.
According to The New York Post, the family said the crew returned Lenkoff’s passport and belongings, but her money and credit cards were missing.
Gies told NewsNation the family hasn't heard directly from Norwegian Cruise Line but found out that the cruise line created a claim with Julie's insurance company; however, they haven't received any information about a claim number.
Norwegian Cruise Line did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Gies noted that Lenkoff has traveled to 120 countries and speaks 10 languages. He also said they put an Apple AirTag in Lenkoff's bag before she left and encouraged other travelers to do the same.
"If you ever have anybody traveling that you love, give them something that you can track them with, because that was huge peace of mind to us," he said. "We were able to track her progress across the world."