How the Story Begins...

Our family is so grateful for all of the people offering thoughts, prayers and assistance during this trying time. With so many people inquiring about the current status of Dad's health and "What happened!?" mom and I thought it would be a good idea to start a blog with the basic information from our perspective.

My parents arrived in Cabo San Lucas on Saturday. They were able to enjoy a nice dinner overlooking the ocean and take-in the beautiful sights.

On Sunday, dad and fellow travellers, Tom, Sue, Mandy and Todd, got on a boat to go deep-sea fishing. During this time, mom had stayed at the villa for some relaxation while the group was out on the water.

As the boat trip came to conclusion, dad noticed that he was having numbness in one of his legs. By the time it was time to leave the boat, both of his legs were numb and he had to be carried from the boat, unable to feel anything in either of his legs or stand on his own.

The ambulance was called and took him to a hospital in Mexico. Tom went back to the villa to get mom and took her to the hospital to meet them.

Things at the Mexico hospital were stressful and scary. The hospital staff did not speak English (not much, anyway) and didn't seem to have the medical capabilities for diagnosis or treatment. On top of that, they charged my parents nearly $20,000 just for hospital bills. All had to be paid upfront before they could leave the facility.

When the medical staff determined, after about 7 hours, that they could not treat dad, they decided he should be flown to San Diego, the nearest and best hospital for this kind of medical issue. On top of the hospital bills, the medical flight to get dad to San Diego was another $25,000, also required to be paid upfront. Of course my mom went through many phone calls and people to get the finances lined up. A big, big thank you from Mom to Grandpa Joy, Bob, Tom and Sue. After over $40,000 dollars paid to the Mexican hospital, they were finally able to leave for San Diego.

I'm writing in sections so people can skip to what they want to read. Thanks to everyone for prayers and support. We love you and we can certainly feel the prayers and love, even from here in San Diego!

Also, in case you're wondering why there are photos of all of the medical stuff, mom said, "We're going to document the WHOLE vacation!" :)


Dana