Kiwi tourist faces almost $100k bill after fracturing spine in Cambodia

[CEOCambodiaNews]

Kiwi traveller faces almost $100k bill after fracturing spine in Cambodia
Finlay Dunseath
05:00, Jul 19 2023

Charlie Lowe was left partially paralysed after fracturing his spine and ribs in a fall while on holiday in Cambodia.

The family of a Kiwi who fractured his spine in Cambodia are urging travellers to get insurance as they face huge costs to bring their brother home.

Charlie Lowe, a New Zealand citizen who has lived and worked in Australia for the last 15 years, suffered a serious spinal injury after falling on a curb in Phnom Penh, Cambodia while on holiday on July 5.

Still conscious but partially paralysed after the fall, Lowe was helped to his hotel room by a friend and onlookers, where they waited for an ambulance to take him to Calmette Hospital.

At the hospital, X-rays showed the extent of his injuries – a T11 fracture, dislocation and compression of the spine, along with five broken ribs.

Lowe’s sister Diane Moore quickly booked a flight from New Zealand to Cambodia, so she could take care of him.

After a second surgery attempt was aborted on July 10 due to Lowe’s low oxygen levels, Moore realised she needed to get her brother to a different hospital.

He was moved to a general ward, where she slept on the floor.

“Family have to stay with the patients in the general ward otherwise they’re essentially left to die,” Moore said.
After slipping onto a curb in Phnom Penh, Charlie Lowe suffered a T11 fracture, dislocation and compression of the spine, along with five broken ribs.

She described the situation at Calmette Hospital as “dire and Third World”, with the responsibility of bathing and feeding patients falling on the patient’s family during limited visiting hours.

“I had visions of smuggling my brother with a broken spine, getting him on a truck and going over the land border to Bangkok for an operation,” she said.

On July 11, with the help of emergency assistance company First Assistance, Charlie was moved to Phnom Penh Royal Hospital and later transported to Bangkok Hospital in Thailand.

Moore said the hospital staff and surgeons were exceptional at Bangkok Hospital, where Lowe underwent successful spinal surgery on July 13.

Although he had been recovering, he remained partially paralysed, and it was a “wait and see” situation whether he would walk again, she said.

She was hopeful Lowe would be able to take a commercial flight to New Zealand in the coming days, an expensive but necessary measure that would require a doctor and nurse helping him while he was on a stretcher.

However, there had been talks that they may have to wait until July 27 to return to New Zealand, she said.

With medical bills possibly amounting to $60,000 and the flight home costing tens of thousands of dollars, Lowe’s family had a message for any travellers considering going without insurance.

“For the love of god, get travel insurance ... we talked to someone yesterday who said they were putting someone on a plane to New Zealand this week and it was going to cost well over $100,000 for a full medevac.

“If you can’t raise the funds, you could die where you are, or at least you may get suboptimal medical care ... for the small sum it can save a lot of heartache and stress,” Moore said.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/travel-t ... n-cambodia

[Ghostwriter]

A local surgeon's dream ^^

[ItWasntMe]

See that would never have happen in Kampot, except maybe that one dude that fell into a drain and that other one that fell into the river.

[Jerry Atrick]

Kiwi traveller faces almost $100k bill after fracturing spine in Cambodia
Finlay Dunseath
05:00, Jul 19 2023

Charlie Lowe was left partially paralysed after fracturing his spine and ribs in a fall while on holiday in Cambodia.

The family of a Kiwi who fractured his spine in Cambodia are urging travellers to get insurance as they face huge costs to bring their brother home.

Charlie Lowe, a New Zealand citizen who has lived and worked in Australia for the last 15 years, suffered a serious spinal injury after falling on a curb in Phnom Penh, Cambodia while on holiday on July 5.

Still conscious but partially paralysed after the fall, Lowe was helped to his hotel room by a friend and onlookers, where they waited for an ambulance to take him to Calmette Hospital.

At the hospital, X-rays showed the extent of his injuries – a T11 fracture, dislocation and compression of the spine, along with five broken ribs.

Lowe’s sister Diane Moore quickly booked a flight from New Zealand to Cambodia, so she could take care of him.

After a second surgery attempt was aborted on July 10 due to Lowe’s low oxygen levels, Moore realised she needed to get her brother to a different hospital.

He was moved to a general ward, where she slept on the floor.

“Family have to stay with the patients in the general ward otherwise they’re essentially left to die,” Moore said.
After slipping onto a curb in Phnom Penh, Charlie Lowe suffered a T11 fracture, dislocation and compression of the spine, along with five broken ribs.

She described the situation at Calmette Hospital as “dire and Third World”, with the responsibility of bathing and feeding patients falling on the patient’s family during limited visiting hours.

“I had visions of smuggling my brother with a broken spine, getting him on a truck and going over the land border to Bangkok for an operation,” she said.

On July 11, with the help of emergency assistance company First Assistance, Charlie was moved to Phnom Penh Royal Hospital and later transported to Bangkok Hospital in Thailand.

Moore said the hospital staff and surgeons were exceptional at Bangkok Hospital, where Lowe underwent successful spinal surgery on July 13.

Although he had been recovering, he remained partially paralysed, and it was a “wait and see” situation whether he would walk again, she said.

She was hopeful Lowe would be able to take a commercial flight to New Zealand in the coming days, an expensive but necessary measure that would require a doctor and nurse helping him while he was on a stretcher.

However, there had been talks that they may have to wait until July 27 to return to New Zealand, she said.

With medical bills possibly amounting to $60,000 and the flight home costing tens of thousands of dollars, Lowe’s family had a message for any travellers considering going without insurance.

“For the love of god, get travel insurance ... we talked to someone yesterday who said they were putting someone on a plane to New Zealand this week and it was going to cost well over $100,000 for a full medevac.

“If you can’t raise the funds, you could die where you are, or at least you may get suboptimal medical care ... for the small sum it can save a lot of heartache and stress,” Moore said.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/travel-t ... n-cambodia

Slippery tiles strike again!

In his fundraiser they mentioned he slipped on wet stairs and not upon a kerb

[violet]

Kiwi traveller faces almost $100k bill after fracturing spine in Cambodia
Finlay Dunseath
05:00, Jul 19 2023

Charlie Lowe was left partially paralysed after fracturing his spine and ribs in a fall while on holiday in Cambodia.

The family of a Kiwi who fractured his spine in Cambodia are urging travellers to get insurance as they face huge costs to bring their brother home.

Charlie Lowe, a New Zealand citizen who has lived and worked in Australia for the last 15 years, suffered a serious spinal injury after falling on a curb in Phnom Penh, Cambodia while on holiday on July 5.

Still conscious but partially paralysed after the fall, Lowe was helped to his hotel room by a friend and onlookers, where they waited for an ambulance to take him to Calmette Hospital.

At the hospital, X-rays showed the extent of his injuries – a T11 fracture, dislocation and compression of the spine, along with five broken ribs.

Lowe’s sister Diane Moore quickly booked a flight from New Zealand to Cambodia, so she could take care of him.

After a second surgery attempt was aborted on July 10 due to Lowe’s low oxygen levels, Moore realised she needed to get her brother to a different hospital.

He was moved to a general ward, where she slept on the floor.

“Family have to stay with the patients in the general ward otherwise they’re essentially left to die,” Moore said.
After slipping onto a curb in Phnom Penh, Charlie Lowe suffered a T11 fracture, dislocation and compression of the spine, along with five broken ribs.

She described the situation at Calmette Hospital as “dire and Third World”, with the responsibility of bathing and feeding patients falling on the patient’s family during limited visiting hours.

“I had visions of smuggling my brother with a broken spine, getting him on a truck and going over the land border to Bangkok for an operation,” she said.

On July 11, with the help of emergency assistance company First Assistance, Charlie was moved to Phnom Penh Royal Hospital and later transported to Bangkok Hospital in Thailand.

Moore said the hospital staff and surgeons were exceptional at Bangkok Hospital, where Lowe underwent successful spinal surgery on July 13.

Although he had been recovering, he remained partially paralysed, and it was a “wait and see” situation whether he would walk again, she said.

She was hopeful Lowe would be able to take a commercial flight to New Zealand in the coming days, an expensive but necessary measure that would require a doctor and nurse helping him while he was on a stretcher.

However, there had been talks that they may have to wait until July 27 to return to New Zealand, she said.

With medical bills possibly amounting to $60,000 and the flight home costing tens of thousands of dollars, Lowe’s family had a message for any travellers considering going without insurance.

“For the love of god, get travel insurance ... we talked to someone yesterday who said they were putting someone on a plane to New Zealand this week and it was going to cost well over $100,000 for a full medevac.

“If you can’t raise the funds, you could die where you are, or at least you may get suboptimal medical care ... for the small sum it can save a lot of heartache and stress,” Moore said.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/travel-t ... n-cambodia

Slippery tiles strike again!

In his fundraiser they mentioned he slipped on wet stairs and not upon a kerb

It says ‘falling in to a kerb/curb’. Maybe he slipped on wet stairs and fell on to the kerb/curb.

[Alex]

I wish him the best. Goes to show (once again) that you really NEED insurance while traveling, it's an afterthought for far too many.

[Cooldude]

He won't be flying commercial anytime soon with those injuries. I wish him the best of luck. Very easy for anyone to suffer the same fate over here during rainy season.

[jaynewcastle]

Some people believe they are invincible, but accidents can happen to everybody

Why people think crowd-begging is an alternative to travel insurance is beyond me ?

Every time my local newspaper has a story about a tourist injured abroad, there is always a crowd-begging fund set up & they're just advertising for money to pay their medical bills because they didn't have travel insurance

[ego bibere nimis]

Some people believe they are invincible, but accidents can happen to everybody

Why people think crowd-begging is an alternative to travel insurance is beyond me ?

Every time my local newspaper has a story about a tourist injured abroad, there is always a crowd-begging fund set up & they're just advertising for money to pay their medical bills because they didn't have travel insurance

100% agree. The only time these stories make it into the press is when hand-outs are sought. Heaps of folks succumb to injuries daily whilst travelling but have insurance, so no accompanying sob story needed. Who on earth wants to be banged up in hospital and have their face and name plastered all over the press FFS.

Bring back rules like they had in covid times might be a solution. No insurance = no entry. Reality is, if you can't afford the insurance, you can't afford to travel.

[hdgh29]

"Kelly claimed Calmette Hospital refused to hand over Lowe’s medical records and notes, forcing Lowe’s other sister to bribe hospital staff.
“We have been told if he stayed a few more days in Cambodia, he would have died,” she said. “Care in the hospital all up is around $60,000.”
"Kelly started a Givealittle page to fundraise money to recoup the costs incurred. When she spoke on NZ Talkback earlier today, she said the page had raised $7000. As of 4pm, more than $10,000 had been donated."
We should pray to whatever unseen power we believe in that this never happens to us. The family also denied that he fell off the footpath when drunk.