Stroke Victim Flown Home

The St. Petersburg Times

Published: August 29, 2012 (Issue # 1724)

A tourist from St. Petersburg who was left in a coma after suffering a stroke while on holiday in Bulgaria was flown back to the city by the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry on Sunday.

Olga Volobuyeva, development director for the charity organization Roditelsky Most, which helps children and families in difficult situations, was taken to the city’s Mariinsky hospital upon arrival. Her condition is described by doctors as stable but serious.

Volobuyeva fell into a coma after suffering a stroke on July 31, the third day of her vacation with her children in Bulgaria. Her medical insurance policy was not enough to cover medical evacuation back to Russia. Volobuyeva’s collegues at Roditelsky Most appealed to the St. Petersburg government for help, and City Hall in its turn contacted the Health and Emergency Situations ministries.