Spirit passenger in need of emergency surgery finally heads to Houston after spending days at TPA

TAMPA, Fla. - A Spirit Airlines passenger was caught in a race against time. She was in need of emergency surgery – but was stranded in Tampa for days – trying to get to a Houston hospital. Her flight to Houston was re-routed through Tampa International Airport over the weekend, as severe weather caused chaos to airline schedules across the industry.    

Six boarding passes later and Jennifer Sims finally boarded a Southwest flight late Tuesday night to head to Houston. 

"I have went through hell. I've slept in places that I curled up in and my bones feel like they're – I don't even know," Sims said.

Sims, a mother of 11 and grandma of 16, was slated to have surgery Friday morning in Houston to have her spleen removed after getting cancer, as well as another surgery to have stents put in her heart.

"I still have five blood clots in my heart. It's hit or miss. I have a three percent chance, so it's either now or never," Sims said.

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Last Friday, her flight from Chicago to Houston was diverted to Tampa, where she's slept for the last three nights. Late Monday night, she learned another flight she was booked on was canceled.

"I haven't showered or anything. This is not OK. I'm so sick," Sims said.

For days, she said she's been asking Spirit Airlines for hotel accommodations, but that she's been turned down. 

READ: Airlines grapple with thousands of delays, cancellations over weekend

"This is unacceptable for anybody, that complete strangers come up to you and willing to pay out of their pocket to take you to a room," Sims said.

A spokesperson for Spirit Airlines told FOX 13 that for "issues outside of the airline’s control like severe weather, then the standard industry practice doesn’t include offering vouchers." However, the spokesman added that the airline would look into the situation and try to make an exception – and on Monday night, the airline did put her up in a nearby hotel.  The company spokesman added that Spirit will be reimbursing her for food and other expenses she's incurred while at the airport.

More than 15,000 flights were canceled or delayed across the airline industry starting Friday. Severe weather moving across the south caused most of the disruptions. Jet Blue, Southwest, Frontier, and American Airlines were also impacted.  The FAA even halted flights at some airports in Florida for a brief time on Saturday due to severe storms.

It's been a long few days, and Sims admits it's been a struggle to stay positive, but she said the kindness she's witnessed from complete strangers is giving her hope.

"I feel blessed because there's a really great, great amount of really good people that see my struggle, because my struggle is real," Sims said.

Once she lands in Houston early Wednesday, she will head straight from the airport to the hospital. Sims was set to have surgery at 4 a.m., which should last about 12 hours. 

Family says they are waiting for her at the hospital and will be there when she gets out of surgery Wednesday afternoon. She'll spend the next three months in the hospital recovering.

Erik Hofmeyer, Director of Communications for Spirit Airlines, provided the following statement to FOX13 regarding the situation:

We’re currently recovering from the cumulative effect of weather-related challenges throughout Florida and other major markets resulting in numerous air traffic control delay programs that impacted the industry over the past several days.  

Spirit has a very large presence in Florida with hundreds of flights touching the state each day. It takes time to get our crews and planes back into place after multiple days of weather and restrictions.

We’re seeing improved operating conditions, and we expect to move toward resuming our normal operations over the next few days. 

We sincerely apologize for the inconveniences that our Guests have experienced, and we continue to take care of our Guests. We encourage those traveling to check their email and flight status before heading to the airport, and Guests can contact us for information and rebooking options.