As much as he wanted to be by her bedside during the operation, her father couldn't get a visa to travel to Spain intime, another problem for Colombians who are routinely eyed with suspicion by immigration officers across the world.
The trip is expected to take 12 to 15 days and has suffered multiple false starts as the Thompsons try to line up the logistics of visas, border crossings and traveltime timetables in a part of the world where buses and ferries don't tend to conform to strict schedules.