Campaigners raise £25,000 to bring sick Scot home from Thailand

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Campaigners raise £25,000 to bring sick Scot home from Thailand
STV


Image: source Internet

GLASGOW: -- A fundraising campaign has raised £25,000 to bring a Scot home after he suffered a brain aneurysm in Thailand.

Orcadian Owen Auskerry was flown to a private hospital in Bangkok after a series of seizures on January 13.

The 24-year-old underwent brain surgery with his parents by his side two days later and is now recovering in the Thai capital.

But rising medical costs and concerns over his long-term care forced his family to turn to crowdfunding website GoFundMe for help.

Mr Auskerry's brother Hamish said: "Owen is in intensive care in a private hospital in Bangkok. He's stable and doctors removed a catheter from his brain on Tuesday.

Full story: http://news.stv.tv/north/1339634-campaign-raises-25000-to-bring-scot-home-after-aneurysm-in-thailand/

-- STV news 2016-01-20

[NeverSure]

That's awesome that people will help and he's going to need lots of it. I presume that the 6,000 pounds for an air ambulance was a mistake or was within Thailand? A private jet with two pilots, and set up with a stretcher and an RN and an EMT is going to cost more like 5K per hour. Depending on plane type, the fuel could be 1K+ per hour. If he's flown to the UK that way it will be a king's ransom as the plane has to go round trip. I'm going to try to find it and donate some.

Cheers

[CelticBhoy]

Best of luck Owen.

[doremifasol]

People are awesome.

I wish him a full recovery.

[Prbkk]

Went to the page and it's funded already, in just 4 days.

[rasmus5150]

I wish more of these stories had a successfull outcome.

Best of luck to Owen.

[NeverSure]

I think they are low on their estimate they are asking. I gave anyway, even though they reached the 25K Pounds. That won't fly him back to the UK.

[rebelplatoon]

Who said Scottish are stingy? Good job everyone! Other nationalities can learn a lesson.

[DoctorG]

No mention of travel insurance in this story.

[nahkit]

No mention of travel insurance in this story.

Try reading the full story provided in the link before you decide to put your foot in your mouth.

""He has insurance and we're hoping his medical costs - which include a £6000 bill for the air ambulance and a £16,000 bill for brain surgery - will be covered.

"But his insurance runs out on January 22 and we're worried it may not pay for his recovery."

[simon43]

But his insurance runs out on January 22 and we're worried it may not pay for his recovery

Slightly off-topic, but that comment raises some concern. If one has private medical insurance and are taken ill/have a serious accident near to the policy renewal date, where does one stand re insurance payments if one is still being treated for the accident/illness? Will the insurer refuse to renew the cover because of your accident/illness? Or will they quadruple the renewal premium etc?

[soalbundy]

But his insurance runs out on January 22 and we're worried it may not pay for his recovery

Slightly off-topic, but that comment raises some concern. If one has private medical insurance and are taken ill/have a serious accident near to the policy renewal date, where does one stand re insurance payments if one is still being treated for the accident/illness? Will the insurer refuse to renew the cover because of your accident/illness? Or will they quadruple the renewal premium etc?

I would have thought that they are still liable to pay since the event occurred during the insurance period but we all know about the morals of insurance companies.

[F4UCorsair]

But his insurance runs out on January 22 and we're worried it may not pay for his recovery

Slightly off-topic, but that comment raises some concern. If one has private medical insurance and are taken ill/have a serious accident near to the policy renewal date, where does one stand re insurance payments if one is still being treated for the accident/illness? Will the insurer refuse to renew the cover because of your accident/illness? Or will they quadruple the renewal premium etc?

Having had (unfavorable) dealings with an insurance company re a potential disability claim, my bet is they won't renew, and they're most likely under no obligation to do so.

Insurance companies and compassion don't fit on the same page.

I hope I'm wrong for his, and his family's, sakes.

[off road pat]

No mention of travel insurance in this story.

You didn't read the whole story did you ?....

[Gsxrnz]

Hope all turns out well for him and he gets home safely.

And full marks to his girlfriend for taking him to the hospital and also to the staff at the hospital for recognising the seriousness of the situation. We so often hear stories to the contrary.

I can tell he is a top bloke. He's got a map of New Zealand tattood on his chest.

[springheeled jack]

good luck to the lad I hope he pulls through hospitals in Thailand are not cheap the longer you stay the more expensive it becomes and I hope his family can pay the bill and get him back home as quickly as possible.

[landslide]

That's awesome that people will help and he's going to need lots of it. I presume that the 6,000 pounds for an air ambulance was a mistake or was within Thailand? A private jet with two pilots, and set up with a stretcher and an RN and an EMT is going to cost more like 5K per hour. Depending on plane type, the fuel could be 1K+ per hour. If he's flown to the UK that way it will be a king's ransom as the plane has to go round trip. I'm going to try to find it and donate some.

Cheers

I believe the £6000 pounds for the air ambulance was for the flight from the hospital near his home in Thailand to the hospital in Bangkok.

[dotpoom]

Best of luck Owen.

Yes indeed...people ARE wonderful, like this event and the recent one of people giving their blood for the young lady in Chiang Mai, people having organ donor cards, or contributing to disaster funds...and so on and so on...and I think this is the way most human's are programmed...to help each other out in times of crises.

For that reason it annoys me when a simple act of kindness sometimes gets reported in the press like it was the rarest of events and a thing long gone from the past amoungst humans. An example being...when a young staff member in KFC helped a man in a wheelchair eat his food it got publicised like she had prevented a third world war...one man posted on here that that type of thing deserved to make the headlines. For me, not to have helped him would have been more worthy of a headline, if anything.

[Johnniey]

Sounds a bit like a scam to me.

[Rumblecat]

Sounds a bit like a scam to me.

In what way?

[mango66]

That's awesome that people will help and he's going to need lots of it. I presume that the 6,000 pounds for an air ambulance was a mistake or was within Thailand? A private jet with two pilots, and set up with a stretcher and an RN and an EMT is going to cost more like 5K per hour. Depending on plane type, the fuel could be 1K+ per hour. If he's flown to the UK that way it will be a king's ransom as the plane has to go round trip. I'm going to try to find it and donate some.

Cheers

I believe the £6000 pounds for the air ambulance was for the flight from the hospital near his home in Thailand to the hospital in Bangkok.

6.000,- pounds in Thailand !!

Thats ripping of a farong for sure !!

propably they did know in advance that he have an bank insurance !!

[mikosan]

Now this is a story worth reading on ThaiVisa. I hope you fully recover soon Owen and all the best to you and your family in the future. This truly shows the power of the Internet to do good. I shall donate a small sum and would urge others to also do so. I am somewhat saddened though, by the usual cynics that pervade these discussion pages with their unhelpful and pointless comments. Why don't you give it a rest on matters like this and concentrate on the many stories of saddos that probably deserve your sarcasm and 'wit'?

[Jim walker]

Makes such a change for Thai Visa to have a story with a cheerful ending usually about deaths on roads or shootings an occasional jumper, a lovely read and to see there are still some in this world who care about others well done to GoFundMe campaign organisers not the Me me attitude of most Thais, hope you make a full and speedy recovery Owen and that your next teaching trip to Thailand will be a more enjoyable one with happy memories.

[farcanell]

Great story... A sad story... But that people are willing to help, restores ones faith in people.

There may be scams involved... This is LOS... But getting him out of here asap is the best course of action (as a minimum, prevents more scams)

Very well done, and in four days if Prbkk is correct...,awesome..