Μake us preferred on Google Patricia, the seven year old Moldovan girl who lost her whole family in a car crash in Halkidiki a month ago, is set to leave Thessaloniki on Friday morning to complete her recovery in her home country.
She will travel by special ambulance sent from Moldova for the transfer, departing Papageorgiou Hospital in Thessaloniki for Chisinau, the Moldovan capital, according to a statement from the Honorary Consulate of the Republic of Moldova in Thessaloniki. A four member medical team, led by physician Dumitru Carasic, will accompany her on the journey.
A monthlong recovery
The Honorary Consulate said the crash, which killed both of Patricia’s parents and her infant sister, shocked Greek society and drew widespread public sympathy. In its statement, the consulate said it had worked closely with the Moldovan Embassy in Athens and with Greek authorities throughout Patricia’s hospitalization to secure the best possible medical care for her and to arrange her safe return home.
The consulate singled out the director, physicians and nursing staff of the pediatric surgery department at Papageorgiou Hospital for what it described as their dedicated care over the course of Patricia’s treatment.
In its statement, the Honorary Consulate framed the support Patricia received as extending beyond routine institutional cooperation, calling it an expression of humanity and solidarity toward a child who had faced a devastating family loss. The consulate, led by Honorary Consul Georgios H. Palazis, said the response from Greek society, and from Thessaloniki in particular, reflected the broader ties of friendship between Greece and Moldova.
Patricia is expected to arrive in Chisinau later on Friday, where she will continue her recovery closer to extended family.
The crash
The accident occurred on July 15 on the provincial road connecting Nea Moudania and Sithonia in Halkidiki. The family’s car collided with a tanker truck. Patricia’s parents and her six month old sister were killed. Patricia survived with serious injuries.
She was first taken to the General Hospital of Polygyros before being transferred that same night to Papageorgiou Hospital, where she underwent two operations, one performed by pediatric surgeons and a second by orthopedic specialists. The following morning she was moved, intubated, to the pediatric intensive care unit at Ippokrateio Hospital, where she remained before returning to Papageorgiou for continued care ahead of her discharge.
Her aunt has remained by her side throughout her hospitalization, according to reporting, leaving Greece only briefly to attend the funerals of her parents and sister in Moldova before returning to Thessaloniki.
