A Norfolk couple have returned home to the UK after being stranded in Thailand for two months following emergency spinal surgery that was not covered by their travel insurance.
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Jo and Stu Ingram, from Belton, had travelled to Krabi in south-west Thailand for what was meant to be a two-week holiday celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary. However, on 8 March, Jo, 56, broke her back in three places after falling during a pony trek on the beach near their hotel.
Jo said she was “over the moon” to finally be back home after the ordeal, which left the couple facing medical bills, flights, hotel stays and other costs totalling about GBP60,000. The pair returned to Norfolk last week.
The couple later discovered their travel insurance did not cover horse-riding because it was classified as an “extreme sport”. Stu and Jo admitted they had failed to read the policy small print before travelling.
After being taken to hospital by ambulance, X-rays revealed fragments from a shattered disc were pressing on Jo’s spinal column. The couple paid GBP12,000 up front to begin treatment, followed by another GBP12,000 for a seven-hour spinal operation the next day. “The pain was excruciating,” Jo said. “I’ve never known pain like it.”
Stu’s employer, a building contractor in Great Yarmouth, helped organise an online fundraising campaign which eventually raised about GBP18,500. The money helped cover flights home and some medical expenses.
Jo spent three weeks in hospital before moving to a hotel with Stu while continuing her recovery. She said they could no longer afford to remain in hospital and had withdrawn all available savings to survive financially.
The situation worsened when Jo later contracted dengue fever from a mosquito bite and spent another 10 days in hospital on a drip. She had taken out a separate insurance policy by that point, meaning the later treatment was covered. “There were times we thought we’re not going to get home,” Jo said. “Every time we thought we’d got over a hurdle, something else then stepped in and stopped us.”
Stu, 58, described feeling “helpless” during the ordeal, particularly because he struggled to communicate with hospital staff. He said the couple had relied entirely on one another throughout the experience.
The BBC reported that now back in Norfolk, Jo is recovering slowly with the help of a walking frame and hopes to eventually return to her job as a veterinary receptionist. She said there was still “a lot of mental healing” ahead, but remained grateful she could walk and move again.
Pictures courtesy of BBC
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Adapted by ASEAN Now BBC 16 May 2026
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