Families share shocking travel secrets for vacationing beyond the U.S

In the United States, a 76-year-old British woman named Patricia Bunting fell critically ill while vacationing in Florida with her family. During a three-week trip to Disney World, she experienced severe health complications, ultimately requiring hospitalization at Dr. P. Phillips Hospital in Orlando after being discovered unconscious in the bathroom. The woman had initially planned this trip, her 20th to Disney, which she considered her 'happy place', but her declining health made her concerned it would be her last chance for travel. Despite the initial cost of getting her home being approximately $63,000, medical bills surged to at least $101,000 due to complications like bacterial pneumonia and gastrointestinal bleeding. Patricia's daughter, Emma Bunting, has been managing her mother's care in the hospital, where Patricia is being treated with IV antibiotics for pneumonia and has suffered from blood clots and fluctuating oxygen levels. Emma had set up a GoFundMe page to help cover the transportation and medical expenses, explaining their desperate situation and how they waited for further estimates from the hospital on her mother's care costs. Though Patricia had considered purchasing travel insurance, the premium of approximately $5,000 was deemed too high by her, given her pre-existing health conditions. Consequently, the family now faces crippling costs that could have been mitigated with insurance. They were originally scheduled to return home shortly but had to abandon those plans because of her deteriorating health. Emma expressed gratitude for the support received on their fundraising page, while highlighting Patricia's need to return to the UK, where she would receive free healthcare from the National Health Service (NHS). The hopes of bringing Patricia back home are tied not only to medical necessity but also financial relief, as her ongoing treatment in the UK would be fully covered under NHS guidelines. Emma's intentions are focused on solidifying a plan for her mother's return home as quickly as possible, which they hope to finalize in the near future. This situation underscores the potential risks of traveling without insurance, especially for individuals with existing health issues. As they navigate through this unfortunate incident, the family remains hopeful for a solution that will allow Patricia to recuperate in her home country, where access to necessary healthcare is a right they expect, unlike the prohibitive costs they now face in the U.S.