Help Get Jenny Well and Back to Australia
Friends, family, colleagues, former colleagues, acquaintances of Jennifer Anne Learmonth:
It is with immense sadness that we share the devastating news that Jenny passed away 2pm 18 November Australian time / 11.30pm 17 November US time.
Our plan now is for Lyn to return home, Jento be cremated and her ashes returned to Australia.
GoFundMe funds will go toward the hospital bill, at last count at $35,000 USD / $50,000 AUD.
Details of service to follow in due course.
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Please help me, (Louise Rhodes - Jen’s niece) in supporting my beloved Aunty Jenny who is currently going through the toughest time of her life.
I will be managing this fundraiser on Jen’s behalf. Funds will be withdrawn to my personal bank account and I will be in charge of managing all expenses as outlined below.
ABOUT JENNY
Jen is a 61 year old Australian, full of life and loves adventure. A world-renowned chef, a sister, aunt and a great aunt.
Jenny was born in Melbourne and grew up there and in Sydney with parents Verna and Malcolm Learmonth and her older sister Lyn.
Jen went to art college and soon found a passion and talent for cooking. In the 80’s Jen had her own Potts Point cafe - called “Get Fat”. Later she worked as head chef at the acclaimed Bondi eatery Sean’s Panaroma. Twenty years ago Jen was head-hunted to work as head chef of an exclusive resort in Harbour Island, Bahamas. Jen commenced being head chef at The Landing in 1998 and then The Rock House In 2002.
THE CATALYST
Jenny has become seriously ill in the space of a few short months.
Jenny’s trials started as an agonisingly painful circulatory issue in her legs in around August. This rapidly became so painful for Jen that she could barely stand or walk, and was no longer able to work.
Harbour Island in the Bahamas where she resides has no adequate medical facilities - just a triage nurses clinic - and so she travelled to the capital of the Bahamas, Nassau at her full expense to seek a diagnosis and treatment.
At the first visit the Dr personally recommended to her put Jen on some medication for her circulation and sent her home.
Painfully for Jen and her immediate family so far away in Australia, her condition then quickly deteriorated into confusion, falls, dizziness and episodes where she lost consciousness.
Once again, Jen travelled to the capital of the Bahamas, Nassau at her full expense to seek more tests, a diagnosis and treatment. A friend drove her to and from appointments and she was moved around via wheelchairs.
On this second visit, Jen underwent MRI’s amongst other tests and the Dr diagnosed Jen with three holes on the brain, that had filled with fluid. This fluid - according to the Dr - was causing pressure on the brain and the alarming symptoms. Medication was prescribed to reduce the fluid on the brain. Jen was told she couldn’t travel while there was such pressure in her brain and that if the medication didn’t work, that she would require surgery to drain the fluid.
Jen’s sister (and my mum) Lyn was so worried about Jen, especially because Jen’s friends and colleagues reached out to express their concern too.
Lyn decided she had to be by her sister’s side and help her pack up her life there and come back home to Australia to get better.
Within 10 days of diagnosis, my mum was on the first of four planes and the start of a 64 hour marathon journey to support and care for Jen with a view to bringing her home. All at mum’s own expense, and while having health and mobility conditions herself.
THE HOSPITAL
Within 24 hours of mum’s arrival at Jenny’s flat, Jen suffered a dramatic medical episode.
She was taken to the nurses clinic on Harbour Island and while they arranged a medical evacuation to Nassau Jen suffered another episode.
When she finally arrived at public Princess Margaret Hospital in Nassau, Jen was subject to another round of tests under heavy sedation. The Doctors told mum that Jen had had a large brain bleed, and that surgery was required to insert a drain to reduce the pressure on Jen’s brain. They also said there were no beds in the ICU so they would not operate immediately and would see if there was a bed in the morning.
Mum “rested” on a chair in the waiting room - with no transportation, funds or accommodation. This in a hospital that hadn’t been updated since the 1950’s and which requires patients to bring their own towel and face washer.
An ICU bed was made available in the morning and last Wednesday Jen underwent a 2.5 hour brain surgery to insert a drain. She was in a coma. Fluid came from her brain via the drain into a receptacle thereby reducing pressure.
It took days before mum was able to have a meeting with the neurological surgeon. Mum was advised that Jen had suffered a massive stroke on Harbour Island, and another during the transfer to hospital on Nassau. The strokes occurred in the parts of Jen’s brain that control memory, speech and movement.
The drain and breathing tube have been removed, a tracheotomy performed and as yet Jen has not regained consciousness.
My mum is staying with a friend of Jenny’s, and is relying upon that friend for transport to and from the hospital. While there mum is trying to make a plan - as much as possible in the circumstances- to finalise Jen’s affairs and organise her transfer home to Australia.
Jen doesn’t have private medical insurance and so needs to pay the entire hospital bill, currently estimated as $25,000 USD ($36,000).
Mum is a single pensioner without savings and has pledged to contribute $220USD per week plus groceries for Jenny’s friend. Vodafone have now overcharged mum $500 on her phone bill as she frantically tried to contact Jen’s friends and family back home.
WHAT’S NEXT?
We can only imagine the physical and emotional pain that Jen has been going through – she has lost her independence, mobility and ability to make a living.
She faces the fight of her life – physically, emotionally and financially.
We now wait and hope that Jen regains consciousness.
Then we will be able to determine the impact of the strokes and surgery on her.
It is impossible to say when she might be fit to travel home to Australia for further treatment / rehab / etc in our brilliant public health system with the best doctors in the world.
Jenny faces an uncertain future and we have no idea when she will be able to return to Australia and be supported by her family and receive the pension.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Hospital Fees
Immediately, we need help to pay Jenny’s medical expenses while in the Bahamas where she has no private health insurance and there is no publicly funded hospital treatment.
Current Estimated cost: $25,000USD ($36,000 AUD)
Lyn's Accomodation in Nassau
We also need immediate assistance for my mum to be able to stay in Nassau by Jenny’s side.
Current Estimated Cost: $1250 USD ($1800 AUD) a month.
Medevac Nassau to Adelaide
Next, Jenny’s travel arrangements to return to Australia.
We have investigated medevac's which seem to be the safest option given Jen's condition.
They will send a medical team to travel with her and take care of everything from bedside to bedside. She will travel by air ambulance from Nassau to Miami where she will be transferred to a commercial flight in lie-flat business-class. The medevac medical team will provide all necessary monitoring and care, including feedings, medications, hygiene, etc. It will be a one-stop flight from Miami to Adelaide where she will be transferred to the hospital upon arrival. The total cost for this trip will be US$48,900 ($72,000 AUD). This cost is all-inclusive of ground transportation on both ends, all flights, all costs related to the medical team, logistics and medical clearance services, taxes and incidentals. Lyn's economy class flight can be added on.
We would also need removalists for her belongings and shipping of them to Australia.
Mum will coordinate this mammoth task and will support Jen, by her side, every step of the way.
Estimated Cost: $50,000 USD ($73,000 AUD)
Ongoing Care
On Jen's return to Australia, she will have to start afresh and will need funds to help support herself until a government pension/disability is granted. She may need a full time carer, any myriad of therapies (physio, speech etc), medications, follow up surgeries as well as necessities like food / rent / transport.
Our Request To You
I know that Jen, Mum, and their families are extremely uncomfortable about asking for financial help, but the enormity of this situation has made us all swallow our pride. When bad things happen to other people, we often ask ‘what can we do to help?’ It’s especially hard to feel useful when someone is suffering miles away on the other side of the world.
Making any donation you are able to help Jenny get through all of this would mean the world.
She is going through the fight of her life, likely for the rest of her life.
Her remote location makes physical help difficult to offer for most of you, so please, pull a credit card and give what you can. Those dollars will mean so much to her.
This is ‘what you can do to help’ to show Jen that you support and love her during this extremely difficult time.
PAYMENT NOTE: Some of you have expressed that you'd prefer not to pay with your card online. If you prefer to make your donations by bank transfer our bank details are:
Name: Lyn Rhodes
Swift/BIC: CTBAAU2S
BSB: 062 158
Account No: 010172419
Bank: Commonwealth Bank of Australia (Nassau address on request: message this page or Lyn if needed by your bank).
Thank you xx
Image 1: Jen visiting Lyn & family in McLaren Vale last October 2018.
Image 2: Jen 2 days ago.
Image 3: Jen’s legs in August.
