Julie left for India on
January 5 to do a 3-month volunteer stint with IVHQ. She was really looking
forward to her placement. The first week was orientation so the group did some
sightseeing in Delhi. On Saturday they even got the Taj Mahal. Julie decided to
start a blog with her adventures called Julie’s Gypsy Soul. The group got their
placements on Sunday and Julie was excited – it was a perfect place for her. We
Skyped her on Monday morning (her time) and learned that Monday was a national
holiday so she wouldn’t actually start her placement until Tuesday.
I had scheduled vacation
time from January 14 to 27th. Andy had a number of medical
appointments so being off was going to make it easier to get him out and about.
Monday January 14th: I received
two phone calls on while Andy & I were at the ophthalmologist for his
Iritis. The good thing is that his infection has cleared up. He is scheduled to
go to the hospital on Friday morning for a fluorescein eye stain to see what damage he has at the back of his
eye from his diabetes. Apparently they might be able to do surgery but only if
his diabetes is stable.
I didn’t recognize the phone
number (it seemed to be area code 919) so I didn’t answer it.
We got home about 1 pm and I
shoveled some snow so the driveway was passable then I came in. I decided to
check my e-mails and found these two. My first thought was this was a hoax but
unfortunately, it was not.
From: Ananta
Sent: Monday, January 14, 2013 11:11:10
AM
Subject: Urgent notice
Dear Sir/Madam
I just came to know
(11:30pm Indian time) that Julie, Annouska, Suvarna and the
organization's head, Renu got in accident. One vehicle hit their vehicle
from the back and Julie is in ICU and rest of them have minor injuries. I tried
to call Julie's guardian but the phone did not work. This is to inform you that
our local staffs are going to hospital now. Please call him at 0091-8130550800.
It is urgent for Julie.
Best regards,
Ananta
=========
From: Sarah
Cc: Ananta
Sent: Monday, January 14, 2013 12:45:53
PM
Subject: IVHQ - Emergency
Hi Cindy,
I am sorry to email
however, I could not get through on any of the emergency contact numbers Julie
has listed on her file for you. I have just been informed by Ananta, our local
program director in India, that Julie has been involved in a car accident and
is now in ICU. Apparently she has broken ribs and the doctors are concerned
about how this may affect her lungs. Julie was in the car with two other
volunteers and the host mother who have only received minor injuries. The car
they were driving in was hit from behind.
I recommend you call Arjun
who is the program coordinator assisting with the accident. He is waiting at
the hospital and will be able to pass you onto a doctor to gain more
information. Arjun's number is 0091….
Ananta has given the
hospital 30 000 Rupees until insurance can be sorted. I can assure you that the
local staff will do their best to ensure Julie receives the necessary treatment
and they will keep me updated as soon as they have any news.
Please let me know if you
have any questions or if you have any issues contacting Arjun. I have also
copied Ananta into this email.
Kind regards,
Sarah
Needless to say, this was
not a good thing. I contacted Arjun immediately and he confirmed what Sarah had
written and said he was on his way to the blood bank – at least he knew what
her blood type is. The difficulty is that she is O- which, in Canada, is only
7% of the population but in India, only 2% are that blood type, according to
Wikipedia.
I then tried to contact
Ryan but I didn’t have his work or cell number. I called his mother but she
wasn’t home so I called where he works and they were able to connect me. I told
him what had happened and what I knew at that point.
Ryan had contacted the
insurance company so that is underway.
I had several phone calls
from Ananta, the program director, almost begging someone to come from Canada.
I knew I would need to apply
for a Visa to get into India but fortunately one of our friends is from India
so he has gave me the contact information for the Visa people as well as the
name of a travel agent who books flights for India. Apparently I would be
flying either through Amsterdam, Frankfurt or London, depending on which
airline I used.
Tuesday, January 15th: Ananta
requested that I contact the Canadian Embassy in India so late last night (I
think he called about 11:30 pm which is about 12:00 noon their time) so I did.
The Consulate in Delhi provided the phone number for the Consulate in Ottawa so
I don’t have to call long distance to India all the time.
These are the e-mails I
received when I woke up:
From: Ananta
Sent: Tuesday, January 15, 2013 3:02:47 AM
Subject: RE: IVHQ - Emergency
Dear Sir/Madam,
Someone from
the family should come as soon as possible. Please call
Arjun to know update: Arjun's number is 0091... She is at the Asian
Hospital.
I think she should be
taken home for better treatment.
Best regards,
Ananta
From: Ananta
Sent: Tuesday, January 15, 2013 3:14:39 AM
Subject: RE: My response to the e-mails
Dear Ryan,
Her city scan was done.
She has problem in breathing and blood lose. She is talking. I was there for
the whole day and please come here as soon as possible and we have no idea of
her insurance condition and we have been paying US$700 a day so far
and she needs more money as soon as possible and she has to
go through surgery as well.
Please come to India as
soon as possible.
Ananta
I asked Aaron to find out
what I needed to do about my cell phone plan. This was his response:
Your phone will not work
in India.
You’ll have to change
phones. Call Maria and ask her to find my old Blackberry and
charger. That will work overseas. You’ll need to go to the mall to
buy a new SIM card ($10) and ask them to change it and add International
capabilities. You can choose to add data at that time.
Aaron
About 9:30 am I talked to Christella
in Ottawa whose title is Consular Case Management Officer, Eastern
Europe, Central and South Asia
Department of Foreign
Affairs & International Trade Canada.
She confirmed that Julie
was conscious, alert and stable and they were planning to do a CT Scan at
sometime during the day.
I provided her insurance
information to their office are so everyone was in the same loop.
I believed I would be
heading to India by the weekend. I was going to try to talk to Julie later that
afternoon and find out how she really is.
Ryan thought she might want
to stay after her hospital stay and finish out her volunteer term but until we
know what she wants, that will remain on the table.
This
is what I received from Ryan:
From: Ryan
Sent: Tuesday, January 15, 2013 12:34:44 PM
Subject: RE: Julie
I talked to the resident,
and between his broken English, and my mom filling in the blanks it doesn’t
sound like she’ll need any surgery, so I’m hopeful she’ll be out sooner rather
than later.
Regardless, even once
she’s out of the hospital the airlines won’t let her fly for 7-10 days given
the nature of her injury (difficulty breathing). So she’ll still have to
be there a while yet.
Also, the person I spoke
to at world nomads said they have to wait for their doctors’ report before they
can get approval to book the flight (tomorrow), but he also said it doesn’t
matter, they can reimburse after the fact too…..of course all this assumes her
condition qualifies her for this coverage, I think it does.
I’m cleared from a work
perspective, but I’m beginning to think there’s a good chance she’ll stay in
India to finish her term, so not certain there is much value to going….unless
she wants/needs someone there, or she has to/wants to come home.
You might have this, but
this is where she’s at, looks like she’s in good hands.
From: Sarah
Sent: Tuesday, January 15, 2013 1:00:06 PM
Subject: Re: My response to the e-mails
Hi Ryan,
Thanks for your email.
Julie's condition is very serious and it is likely that she will have an
extended recovery period once she receives surgery. Ananta feels that
it is best Julie travels home by air ambulance so she can receive surgery
at home. Julie's insurance should cover an emergency evacuation should she
choose to go ahead with this.
At this time it is most
imperative that a family member travels to Delhi to be with Julie and assist
her with travel home. It would be great if you can please let us know once a
flight has been booked for yourself or Cindy to arrive in Delhi.
Ananta currently has a
staff member waiting at the hospital 24/7 on stand by and whilst he wants to
ensure that Julie has support and receives the necessary treatment he cannot
afford to have a staff member be on standby for an extended period of time.
I am not sure if you have
already been in contact with Ananta regarding the hospital fees but he will
need to know when insurance is going to take over otherwise he will need a wire
transfer to be made so Julie can stay in hospital.
I look forward to hearing
from you soon.
Kind regards,
Sarah
I finally said to Ryan that
if he wasn’t prepared to go to India, I was!
Just after supper, I headed out to Costco to get the photos I needed for
an Indian visa. After I got home, Andy said that Ryan had called. I called him
back and he said he was heading out first thing in the morning to Vancouver to
be at the Consulate Office when they opened to apply for an Emergency Visa. He
said that once he had that, he would be flying out to Delhi on the next available
flight.
From: Cindy
To: Ryan
Sent: Tuesday, January 15, 2013 6:59:44 PM
Subject: Phone numbers
I managed to talk to Julie
herself a few minutes ago.
If you want to call the
unit on their cell/portable phone so they can bring it to her, the phone number
is (011) 91…
The doctor I talked to (I
think it was Dr. Roy), says she had a Glasgow Coma Score of 9/15 but she was
pretty dopey when I talked to her. I do have to take into account that 1. they
probably woke her up to take the call, 2. she is probably well medicated and 3.
but I hope not, she might have hit her head.
Anyway, that is the latest
news. I just tried to call but there was no answer so I thought I would send
you the phone number in case you want to try to talk to her.
Cindy
Wednesday, January 16: I learned today that there is another group of
volunteers starting in the next few days so they won’t be able to spare someone
to stay with her.
I have been in touch with
one of Julie's fellow volunteers who was also in the accident and this is what
she has said to me:
Hi Cindy (Jan 16 1:40 am)
I jut got back from
visiting Julie at the hospital.
She is doing much better
than when we got there straight after the crash.
The hospital is huge and
looks very clean and well equipped. While I was there lots of doctor and nurses
were looking after her including the head of surgery.
I have signed consent
forms for her to have blood and an MRI.
She has 4 cracked ribs on
her right side and the blood is draining well. They were originally worried
that she might have a cracked in the spine but have happily ruled that out.
She will be staying in the
ICU for a few more days just to be safe and they moved to a median care ward.
After that they have told me she will have a few more days in hospital and the ribs
need to be rested.
She was in some discomfort
but they gave her more painkillers. She is on a drip and is being monitored
very well.
She was taking to me
quietly and wants you all to know she loves you and is coping.
My parents live in Delhi
so I am staying with them as I hurt my beck, neck and Chest from being thrown
around.
The IVHQ people are doing
a great job at looking after Julie and the hospital has a special section for
international patients and the women there are very helpful.
Could you please pass this
email on the Ryan.
I hope this message could
be some help to you. She is doing much better that expected.
I you need any help or
have any questions please let me know.
Julie is being very well
looked after.
Hi Cindy, (Jan 16 8:28 am)
I am happy to here that
Ryan is on his way. When I asked Julie if she needed anything her answer was
"my husband".
All I can remember is
everything suddenly went black and I couldn't hear anything but my body was
being thrown like crazy.. It felt like slow motion as I realised what was
happening. Suddenly I woke up and only me and one other volunteer were still in
the taxi (out of 7). Most of the windows were broken and there were people
everywhere. Once I managed to get out of the car I saw Julie being put in a
local car to be taken to the hospital. She and two others had been thrown from
the car. She had been in the back row (out of 3). We were on our way back home
after an amazing dinner. It was about 9pm.
What I have since been
told is that we were stopped at lights to turn right when a speeding car turned
into the back of us. Our car span around and almost flipped over but luckily
hit a parked car. The driver in that car had airbags and is fine. The man
driving the car that hit us ran and has not been found yet. Our taxi driver was
originally missing but has since shown up at the hospital to check on us.
This is what I have been
told but really don't remember what happened in the crash, just after.
Initially I wasn’t seen by
a doctor because I wasn't bleeding and just wanted to be there for Julie and
try to keep her positive. It wasn't till the following morning when my parents
picked me up that I went to a doctor.
Everyone here is thinking
of Julie and wishing her a smooth recovery.
Once again if you need
anything please let me know.
Ryan managed to get his Visa
very quickly and he booked his flights. He was scheduled to arrive in Delhi on
Friday morning at 10:25 am. The agency that Julie was volunteering with
arranged for a driver to pick Ryan up at the airport.
Thursday, January 17th:
From: Andre
To: cdbogya@yahoo.ca
Sent: Thursday, January 17, 2013 9:01:49 AM
Subject: B (12-DELHI-3171791)
Dear Mrs B,
Today I am filling-in for
Christella, the Case Management Officer, with whom you have been in touch.
For your information, I
phoned the insurance company today to advise them that the hospital in India
requires a guarantee of payment as soon possible. The insurance company
claim number is: UA…. They have the contact details for the hospital in
India. I provided them with an email address which they seemed not to
have. The insurance company seemed to have confused your name and that of
Ryan. I explained that Ryan was the spouse.
I tried reaching you by
phone earlier today.
Our Consul visited Julie
today and met with the doctor. Her condition continues to improve. We were told
that she is in less pain as she is getting pain killers. She is having food
orally. By Monday the doctors will be able to take a decision on a possible evacuation
to Canada. We will keep you informed.
If you have any questions
do not hesitate to contact me. Please copy Christella on any email.
Yours sincerely
André
From: Cindy
Sent: Thursday, January 17, 2013 9:57:09 PM
Subject: Julie is doing better!
We managed to actually
talk to Julie a short while ago. She says she is hurt but she was coherent and
pleased to know that Ryan would be with her in a few short hours. The doctor
that I talked to said they would be making a decision next week about what will
happen next. I will keep you posted as I hear more. It was such a relief to
actually talk to her and know that she knew who we were. I think I will have a
good night sleep tonight!
Cindy
From: Ryan
To: Cindy
Sent: Friday, January 18, 2013 3:20:45 AM
Subject: Re: B (12-DELHI-3171791)
Just got back from seeing
her. I think they took her off her pain killers today, so she's really
sore right now, hurts to move, etc. Sounds like they're moving her out of
icu tomorrow, which will be good since the visiting hours for icu are max twice
a day, half hour at a time.
Hopefully I'll pick up her
phone tomorrow and get a sim for mine too, should make things easier.
She is slightly worse than
I expected, more because I thought she would have been off her respirator
earlier and could tell she was having difficulty with deep breathes.
Also, I forgot about all the bruising/scrapes that comes along with
trauma like this. I think she'll improve a lot in the next few days.
Monday the doctor will share his view on evacuation.
Noosh Hi Cindy and Ryan.
Just to let you know that
I visited Julie this morning and she was doing a lot better than the last time
I saw her. This time she was laughing and had color in her checks but was still
confused.
Everytime I have visited
Julie they have told me about the set visiting times but I managed to push my
way in anyway. So Ryan just insist that you want to see your wife.
Please let me know of any
progress and if she is moved and I will try and visit again early next week.
Noosh
Friday, January 18th:
7:25 a.m. Hi Cindy and Ryan.
Just to let you know that
I visited Julie this morning and she was doing a lot better than the last time
I saw her. This time she was laughing and had color in her checks but was still
confused.
Everytime I have visited
Julie they have told me about the set visiting times but I managed to push my
way in anyway. So Ryan just insist that you want to see your wife.
Please let me know of any
progress and if she is moved and I will try and visit again early next week.
Noosh
We received a phone call
about 11:00 pm just as we were heading off to bed from Ryan’s Dad. He was in
California on vacation when he was reading his e-mails he found out that Ryan
was heading to India and wanting to know what was happening. We told him and he
advised that he would be heading home next Tuesday but to keep him informed.
From: Julie
To: Cindy
Sent: Saturday, January 19, 2013 7:09:35 AM
Subject: We've got the wi fi setup in the room
But I think she exhausted
herself and now she's on a small respirator
I'll
hold the iPad and if you want you can video chat her for a minute
We Skyped Julie’s iPad and
talked to her for a few minutes. It was such a relief to see her and talk to
her. She has been moved from the ICU to a private room so Ryan can visit more
than twice a day for only ½ hour at a time. It also means she is getting better
which is a blessing.
She also has a bandaid on
her forehead as well as her other issues. She said that she has a hairline
fracture of her spine and that her shoulders are very sore because that is
where she has been receiving her injections. She also said that she did
puncture her lung(s) – that would explain the pneumothorax.
Julie told us that 4 of
the passengers are in hospital and one lady (I believe her house mother) has
had to have reconstructive facial surgery – I had heard that she had a broken
nose and lost a number of teeth.
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