Deborah Watson-Simcock's Flight Home

Hello, my name is Matthew and I am fundraising for my mother's transportation back home to the US. She retired this past December and in January flew to Australia for a vacation of a lifetime. Sometime in early February she was bitten by a mosquito in Eastern Australia and was infected with a rare virus. It was identified as the virus that causes Murray Valley Encephalitis and it created severe inflammation in her brain and spinal cord. Her illness symptoms quickly appeared and her decline was rapid. On February 27th she was admitted into the ICU in Perth, Western Australia. She remains in the ICU on a ventilator and as a result of her spinal cord inflammation, she is paralyzed with only minimal movements with her right arm. Her prognosis is uncertain but a team of neurologists assessed her spinal cord damage and determined it is irreparable.

My mother was always physically active and loved everything to do with the outdoors. She gardened, hiked, rode bicycles and went on daily walks. Our entire family is shocked by this turn of events and feels so helpless with her so far away from home. It is difficult receiving updates as the time difference is 12 hours and flights to Perth, WA from the eastern US are between 28-32 hours long. Our family would like to see her back home in a hospital so we can visit her. If it is God's will that she never leaves the hospital our family will be much more at peace to be at her bedside if this occurs. We are still holding on to our faith that her spinal cord damage will heal.

These funds are for an international air ambulance flight from Perth, Western Australia back to the US. My mother's insurance has been covering the hospital costs thus far but we are uncertain how much longer that will continue. Her insurance does not cover international air ambulance transportation costs back to the United States. Our family appreciates any amount you can contribute and may God bless you all!

Sincerely,

The Watson and Simcock Families.