***WARNING: A graphic photograph depicting the extent of the damage to Harvey Kell's leg appears at the conclusion of this piece***
An 82-year-old Calgary man has survived a frightening ordeal in Southeast Asia that left him comatose and facing amputation while his partner searched for answers regarding the state of their travel insurance.
In early April, Harvey Kell and Tony Ries flew to Taipei, Taiwan as part of their flight connections at the end of their winter escape to Thailand. The couple was scheduled to depart Taiwan when Kell, 81 at the time, became gravely ill and required medical attention.
“We were happy to be coming home and then this all happened,” said Ries. “He went from being perfectly healthy to being in intensive care and in toxic shock and his organs were all shutting down.”
Kell was diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis, a flesh-eating bacteria, that the couple suspects he contracted on a beach in Thailand. Ries stayed at Kell’s bedside for the better part of a week (except to make excursions for medicine and toiletries that the hospital did not provide) as his partner failed to regain consciousness.
“That’s the way the hospital worked over there,” said Kell. “They expect a family member to come in and stay with you and just carry on helping with the bandages and meditation and feeding and everything.”
“I feel it was harder on Tony than it was on me.”
The couple had purchased travel insurance for the duration of their vacation but the unscheduled delay in Taiwan left them facing uncertainty regarding the state of their coverage. “We didn’t know if we were covered,” recalled Ries. “I made phone calls and I never really did get a positive answer, a yes or no - we are (or are not) covering you.”
Friends of the couple created a GoFundMe page to raise funds for their expenses and the crowdsourcing initiative collected more than $24,000.
Local physicians discussed amputating Kell’s leg but the senior’s condition improved dramatically to the point that less invasive surgeries were considered.
“The doctors there wanted to do skin grafts and keep us there for a long, long time,” said Kell. “We were both anxious to get out of there and get to Canada.”
Medevac flights were arranged to fly Ries and Kell from Taipei, Taiwian to Vancouver and from Vancouver to Calgary. The cost of the flights was covered by insurance.
On May 5, Kell was transported by ground ambulance from the Calgary International Hospital to the Foothills Medical Centre where he underwent a skin graft and was released after a two week stay.
“I was discharged from Foothills last Friday and I was using a walker then,” said Kell. “But, since I’ve been home, I just used a walker for three days, a cane for a couple days and now I can walk without either.”
“A lot of people that get this disease are not as fortunate as me.”
Ries remains impressed by Kell's recovery. “(We’re) just so glad to be home and amongst family and friends,” added Ries. “He’s doing so well. He’s progressing faster than I ever imagined.”
Kell and Ries say they’ve been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support they’ve received. The money raised through the GoFundMe initiative will help cover the estimated $10,000 in expenses the couple encountered during their time in Taiwan. According to Ries, the remainder of the funds will be donated to charity.
The couple plans to alter their approach to travel insurance for future vacations.
“Always take an extra two or three days at the end because you never really know what’s going to happen,” said Ries. “We learned the hard way.”
With files from CTV’s Alesia Fieldberg
