Help Jo recover from her crash and get home

*amended 16/12/2022*

My beautiful sister Jo was in a terrible accident on Wednesday 7th, while holidaying in Thailand. She was thrown from the back of a scooter and suffered severe injuries. Jo is facing medical bills that will likely exceed £50,000 and is looking for your help.

Having fractured nearly every bone in her face according to doctors in the ICU, Jo has already undergone emergency reconstructive surgery, but her ordeal isn’t over yet.

Alongside the damage to her face, Jo has fractured 4 different disks in her spine, and has sustained ligament damage in her arm. Only after the event did Jo realise that she did not have valid travel insurance, mistaken about the extras included with her Amex card - at this point her bills stood at £35,000.

We’re hoping that you’ll find it in the goodness of your heart to alleviate some of this extraordinary financial burden whilst Jo focuses on the physical and mental recovery ahead.

Thank you x

Between treatments Jo has described the ordeal in her own words:

“Sooooo the Thailand dream soon descended into a nightmare during our first full day in Koh Samui. We were excited to explore the beaches, temples and uncover hidden gems throughout the island. Just 25metres from our hotel resort was a scooter rental shop offering up the use of a scooter for just 200baht a day… bargain we thought, and off we went. We saw fellow traveler’s and locals nipping up and down the winding roads through the island on their scooters and ensured we had helmets securely fastened every time we jumped on board.

We had a wonderful afternoon exploring Fisherman’s Village, Lamar Beach and were blessed by a monk at the Big Buddha Temple, and had decided to travel to a viewing spot to watch the sunset together. No issues with the scooter all day besides the odd complaint from me that the bag was too heavy and digging into my shoulder.

Nothing could have prepared me for the screech of tyres skidding across slippy sand in the middle of the road and the sheer force that propelled me into the air and drove my face directly into the concrete floor.

Neither of us lost consciousness but part of me wished I had. Buzzing in my head, terror in my heart, blood dripping from every orifice imaginable yet I couldn’t recognise my own voice. A slurry of panicked and jumbled words desperate to be heard yet so disconnected from my own body. My face felt like a bloody mosh pit… no distinguishable shapes or features, just chunks of bone and flesh protruding from every angle.

This is about the time I slumped into a heap on the edge of the road, my distraught boyfriend holding my hands and trying to reassure me that everything would be fine and that we were lucky to be alive but nothing could stop the feeling of dread and excruciating agony seeping through my every fibre.

We soon attracted a crowd, some people gazing in amazement at the horror show before them, others were genuinely concerned well wishers us who helped as much as possible to get us into the Ambulance ASAP. After a torturous journey to the hospital with my boyfriend and the paramedic pleading with me to stay awake, we were rushed through the emergency department and ICU at Bangkok Samui Hospital.

After what felt like hours of being strapped to every scanner and X-ray machine imaginable, we were very solemnly informed that I had fractured nearly every bone in my face, fractured 4 disks in my spinal cord/back (T1, T2, T11, T12), caused ligament damage to my left arm and was covered in cuts and gashes just waiting for an infection to set in.

The doctors huddled and recommended emergency facial reconstruction be the first step in my long list of treatments, and advised that my jaw may need to be wired shut. In my delicate state I could do nothing but lie there and wait for a decision to be made… but time just ticked on as they vigorously checked travel insurance documents whilst I lay there waiting for treatment in agony. My heart shattered when we were told that our insurance policies were invalid and my Amex card did not offer the protections I thought it did.

I admit that I’m lucky to be alive but the mounting medical bills presented to me on a daily basis fill my heart with dread and fear as I know such a sum of money will take me a lifetime to repay. I’m hoping that some kind souls will find it in the goodness of their heart to alleviate some of this financial burden whilst I focus on the gargantuan physical and mental recovery ahead of me.

My running total currently stands at £35000 after being admitted on 07/12/2022 but the price skyrockets by the day!”