Terminally ill father stranded in Bali with family after fall
A terminally ill father has seen his dream overseas holiday with his young family become a nightmare after he took a risk and travelled overseas without health insurance.
Duncan Turner, from Perth, is stuck in Bali with mounting medical bills after he took a bad turn on the family’s way home from Singapore last week.
Mr Turner, his wife Michelle Edgar and their five-year-old daughter Amelie don’t know when they can finally travel home.
As a result of Mr Turner’s short life expectancy, caused by a blood clot to the brain following a serious fall down stairs in July last year, the family flew to Singapore so he and his daughter could swim with dolphins – Amelie’s favourite animal.
It was to be a final bucket list request to create daddy-daughter memories.
“It was priceless, you couldn’t put a value on it,” he revealed.
But as their holiday drew to a close, Mr Turner had another fall in Singapore and was confined to a wheelchair.
At a Bali stopover his condition deteriorated and he was rushed to hospital for life-saving transfusions.
In just a few days they’ve racked up hospital bills and other costs totalling around $10,000.
“We’re just stuck in a pretty tight situation,” an emotional Ms Edgar told 7 News.
Close friends of the family have now banded together and pleaded for donations to help the family return home.
“Michelle and Duncan are two of the most kind-hearted, giving people I know,” close friend Lynette wrote on the family’s GoFundMe page.
She detailed the family’s battles in the face of adversity – first Amelia’s premature birth followed by her father’s health problems.
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“It is so heartbreaking that they were only hours from returning to Australia when things turned pear-shaped,’ Lynette said.
The friend said even a small donation “would go a long way toward giving this Perth family in need a big, big help”.
Because of his health problems, Mr Turner couldn’t get travel insurance and the family concede they took a risk.
“We weighed up the risk and thought that having special family memories on this holiday was worth taking a risk,” Ms Edgar said.
They’re now paying the price.
“I’ve got a finite amount of time left on this earth,” the father said as he pleaded for help in bringing his family home.