23-year-old Dione Amundson and her son Peyton recently lived through every traveler’s worst nightmare on a two-week trip to Japan. The harsh reality What started out as the trip of a lifetime in July turned into every traveler’s nightmare. In September 2021, Amundson suffered a sudden medical emergency that required hospitalization more than 8,000 kilometers from their home in Okotoks, Alberta.
During this trip to Japan, Amundson’s discomfort became intolerable and increased dramatically in hours. I was really confused and had no idea what was going on. As she recounted her testimony earlier this year to Council, things got even more tense. After being admitted into the hospital, the doctors diagnosed her with sepsis, requiring her to have an emergency surgery that cost around $40K.
The hospital required upfront payment in full, by credit card or cash only. All too often, though, Peyton Amundson was caught in the middle. They (the hospital) would not bill me, they wanted me to pay in one lump sum on my credit card or cash. I explained that my credit card couldn’t actually carry that much. I have no freaking clue which bank in Alexandria would allow me to withdraw $40k+ in foreign cash.
Unable to cope with the 1 million dollar hospital bill, they sought help on GoFundMe. A Go Fund Me campaign started to help ease the financial burden raised more than $20,000 in donations from caring supporters. Family members quickly traveled to Japan to help comfort Dione and Peyton during this difficult period. This trip came with added costs, such as emergency-flighted canceled flights, hotels and lost wages.
The total trip cost ballooned to almost $100,000, which included the price of the surgery, as well as other unexpected expenses. After her surgery, Dione Amundson had to go through rehabilitation before she was even able to go home. Even after rehabilitation, as her son puts it, “Still didn’t see 100 percent progress,” highlighting the struggles that came with their decision.
After living through this nightmare, Dione and Peyton were able to make it back home to Okotoks on Aug. 21. Dione said she’d been told her travel insurance would cover 80 percent of the unexpected expenses adding up from the trip. She’s still not sure how much support those local activist victories will win their recipients in the end.
Lesley Keyter, a Canadian government delegate reiterated the need to provide travel insurance for all Canadian citizens traveling internationally. The Canadian government always recommends that Canadians purchase travel insurance. Keyter highlighted that we can’t pay for medical emergencies when you’re abroad.
The family has been healing since the trauma of this criminal act. They cling desperately to hope that insurance assistance and support from their communities at home will help alleviate that burden.
