So I've been in the eastern mediterranean for the last couple of weeks travelling with my 75 year old mom. Cruising on a cruise ship and having a grand old time.
Until she got sick.
In Preveza Greece we went to a hospital, they did a ct scan, x-ray, blood tests, urine tests, etc they were nice and all it's just that Preveza is a hick town and the hospital literally had BUGS on the walls so I kindly declined and took her back on the ship for the next port, Corfu.
I was told Corfu is larger more modern etc, when we arrived (mom has been under the ship doctors care and he was good enough but just had limited resources) we transferred on the advice of a "local representative" (of something) to a private clinic, the Corfu General Clinic, it's a private place he said, more expensive but the level of care would be better than the public hospital. Holy FUCK was he wrong.
My mom was ignored, not checked on, not given any medication, but they were of course happy to run expensive tests and have "specialist" come into the room and give her a 5 minute look over. During the day I was told by nurses I would have to administer her medicine myself, my mom was nearly delirious, couldn't talk, couldn't walk, was struggling to remove the monitoring leads they had placed on her.
I was able to, with the help of google, and her real doctor (thousands of miles away in the states) get her somewhat stable, enough so she could sleep. Mind you, with NO help of the medical staff at this so-called "clinic".
My mom complained that they had "wiped her really hard" when they gave her a catheter. I noticed one time when they kicked me out of the room to change her linens or something that she had a couple of scratches on her nose (nothing super bad...but still)
I was at the time calling the US Embassy, her health care company and CONSTANTLY on the phone with On Call International screaming for a medical evacuation out of this god-forsaken country. They finally were able to arrange a air ambulance transfer to Hygeia Hospital in Athens Greece.
Once I had her stable and some things in the works, I asked the "medical" staff there to check on my mom, I was assured she would be checked on every ten minutes so I could go to my hotel and sleep a bit.
I got to my hotel around 11, had a couple beers and went to sleep, woke up at 3:30 am with just a very serious feeling that my mom was in danger...I don't know what caused it.
I grabbed my backpack and walked to the clinic, about a half mile or something like that.
I got there, the front sliding glass doors wouldn't let me in so I worked my fingers in between the panes of glass and forced the things open, went upstairs and to my moms room.
As I passed one of the rooms with an open door, a "nurse" with bleary eyes, and obvious "I've been sleeping hair" stumbled out and looked at my confused.
I went into my moms room and she had disconnected herself from the monitoring equipment (she doesn't like the cables and shit) so I reconnected her and checked her blood pressure.
222/100 ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME???
I had to go grab a nurse and force her to administer something to get her straightened out.
I stayed with her the rest of the day, didn't dare leave.
I called and pleaded with the On Call staff to get my mom the FUCK out.
They had to have a meeting with a doctor there in order for insurance to cover the air ambulance.
FUCK
My mom had a death rattler, her BP spiked to 190, 200 several times during the day, no nurses checking on her, I had to basically be her nurse until 4pm when we could leave.
The doctors from Athens showed up as my mom lay on the bed, literally shivering, high BP, totally incoherent, babbling, terrified and on deaths door.
I thought she was going to die. I was screaming inside.
We took the one hour flight from Corfu to Athens, I had to whisper in my moms ear the entire time that she would be okay, and she needed to hold on and keep breathing.
At one point I caught one of the doctors with a morose look on her face shake her head at the other doctor...as if to say there was no way my mom would make it. I was choking back tears and whispering to her to just hold on.
We landed at Athens.
The fucking ambulance was at the wrong landing strip...4 instead of 3.
What else could possibly go wrong?
I stayed with mom the ambulance showed up and they placed her in the back, and me in the passenger seat.
During the 20 minute ride on the Athens freeways, the ambulance guy easily exceeding 100 mph (but in kph..) on several occasions, shouting at people to get the fuck out of the way and just generally being a motherfucking hero got my mom the the hospital alive.
They brought her into emergency, 10 or 20 people around her, trying to save her.
They took her to ICU.
This was yesterday.
Today, I just spent an hour and half with her talking about how we'll walk on the beach and get pancakes like we do every Saturday.
She's speaking.
She's responsive.
She's alive.
Tell the people you love, you love them. Right now.
Protect them.
Don't let anyone ever hurt them.
As of now, I'm still in Athens, but things are looking up.
Mom has a lung infection, and some other issues but they are all treatable. I expect she'll recover fully, and be home in a couple weeks maybe.
The people of the Hygeia Hospital, the pilots, the doctors, the nurses, the ambulance driver and his partner are all heroes to me.
My brother and sister are flying in tomorrow.
Everyone is telling me that I saved her life, and that's probably true, but I'm not a hero.
I'm a son.
