Help us bring my Dad home! (Spiney/Mike Quilliam)
Donation protected
2/11/19 update: HE IS HOME!!! While this has been a devastating ordeal, seeing the outpouring of love and support has kept us moving forward. Thank you all eternally for your part in getting him home. We could not have done this without you. I’m going to leave this campaign open to try to help Liz pay off the loans required to finalize the travel as well as his foreign care. Please learn from us and always buy medical travel insurance with an evacuation plan! Love to you all.
On January 15th my Dad and his loving wife Liz began what was supposed to be a 5-week vacation to South America. Celebrating Liz’s retirement and their 27th wedding anniversary, it was something they’d looked forward to for months. It was supposed to be the beginning of the rest of their lives together. They celebrated their anniversary on the night of the 18th. That is also the night our world turned upside down. My Dad woke up in the middle of the night, stood up too fast, and passed out. He hit his head hard. Because of the aspirin he was taking for his heart, the doctors tell us the damage to his brain is as severe as that of a helmet-less motorcycle crash victim. He is on life support in the ICU. Stable and infection-free. He can sometimes open his eyes and move all of his limbs. The doctors say the progress will be excruciatingly slow. Months. He is a fighter and we know he will come back to us. He has his dog tags hanging over his head.
As grateful as we are for the excellent care he is receiving, the billing side is awful – relentless and devoid of compassion in badgering Liz to settle up in real time. Sadly, my stubborn father talked Liz out of travel insurance. We’ve already racked up a $127,000 bill after 10 days. There is not an end in sight without getting him back to the US where he will have full coverage and they both will have the support of family and friends. Though a medical evacuation flight (“air ambulance”) has a high price tag, it will be far less than the bill we’d accrue staying in Uruguay. The catch is they require the money upfront. For around $120,000 we can have a LearJet, fully equipped as an ICU room, staffed with providers, and flying at sea level, pick him up in Montevideo, Uruguay and deliver him to Lansing, MI. We really need to get him back home. Please help us raise the funds to do so.
On January 15th my Dad and his loving wife Liz began what was supposed to be a 5-week vacation to South America. Celebrating Liz’s retirement and their 27th wedding anniversary, it was something they’d looked forward to for months. It was supposed to be the beginning of the rest of their lives together. They celebrated their anniversary on the night of the 18th. That is also the night our world turned upside down. My Dad woke up in the middle of the night, stood up too fast, and passed out. He hit his head hard. Because of the aspirin he was taking for his heart, the doctors tell us the damage to his brain is as severe as that of a helmet-less motorcycle crash victim. He is on life support in the ICU. Stable and infection-free. He can sometimes open his eyes and move all of his limbs. The doctors say the progress will be excruciatingly slow. Months. He is a fighter and we know he will come back to us. He has his dog tags hanging over his head.
As grateful as we are for the excellent care he is receiving, the billing side is awful – relentless and devoid of compassion in badgering Liz to settle up in real time. Sadly, my stubborn father talked Liz out of travel insurance. We’ve already racked up a $127,000 bill after 10 days. There is not an end in sight without getting him back to the US where he will have full coverage and they both will have the support of family and friends. Though a medical evacuation flight (“air ambulance”) has a high price tag, it will be far less than the bill we’d accrue staying in Uruguay. The catch is they require the money upfront. For around $120,000 we can have a LearJet, fully equipped as an ICU room, staffed with providers, and flying at sea level, pick him up in Montevideo, Uruguay and deliver him to Lansing, MI. We really need to get him back home. Please help us raise the funds to do so.
Fundraising team: Team Quilliam (3)
Tasha Quilliam
Organizer
Madison, WI
Andrew Schroeder
Team member
Elizabeth Taylor Quilliam
Team member