A mother has expressed her heartbreak after a trip arranged by Make-A-Wish to Disneyland Paris for her terminally ill daughter, Daisy, aged five, was abruptly canceled. This unfortunate turn of events was caused by disruptions to Eurostar services due to the discovery of an unexploded bomb near Gare du Nord station in Paris.
Toni Mannion, 38, shared her disappointment, stating that she had been “looking forward to making some special memories” with her daughter, who has complex medical needs. Alternative transport options were not feasible for them, further compounding the distress of the situation.
Travel disruptions and safety concerns
The World War II explosive was successfully defused on Friday afternoon, and Eurostar officials indicated that normal services would resume on Saturday. Simon Lejeune, Eurostar’s chief safety and stations officer, conveyed his sincere apologies for the inconvenience caused to travelers.
Daisy suffers from a rare metabolic disorder known as Nonketotic hyperglycinemia (NKH), requiring her to use a wheelchair and cope with severe epilepsy. Toni had traveled from Birmingham to London on Thursday with Daisy, her one-year-old daughter Lara, her mother, and a friend in anticipation of their magical trip.
“We’ve been planning this for such a long time. Make-A-Wish charity paid for everything from start to finish. We were really looking forward to making some special memories with the girls. I know Make-A-Wish will look to reorganise. But it’s still a bit gutting really,”
she lamented. Toni recounted the emotional toll of the cancellation, saying, “I cried, we all cried. We’ve been really looking forward to it. Her [Daisy’s] life is limited, we just never know how long we’ve got left with her. We wanted to make some really nice memories.”
Travelers adapt to unexpected changes
The disruption left many Britons stranded across the Channel on Friday, facing difficulties in returning to the UK. However, some travelers, like Vicky and her mother Jo, chose to embrace the situation and extend their stay in Paris. Vicky shared their initial concerns, stating, “We were starting to get a bit worried about being able to get home eventually.”
Initially planning a one-night stay, they decided to book a train back to the UK for Sunday. “We’re going to make the most of it. We just walked up to the Eiffel Tower and are going to have a walk around the city, take our time and enjoy Paris,” she added.
Meanwhile, numerous passengers encountered issues accessing the Eurostar app to rebook their travel, including Bob and Mavis from Nottingham. The couple was hoping to travel from London St Pancras International to Paris on Friday but faced significant delays. “It’s taken us hours to get through on the Eurostar app, because it keeps crashing,” Mavis reported. They eventually managed to secure a train for Saturday but were forced to incur additional expenses for an overnight hotel stay in London.