Please help David Pendergast!

We've stopped fundraising! Please see the update below. Many people are acquainted with or have worked with archaeologist David Pendergast at some time over the many years he has spent working at Maya archaeology sites in Belize. Or perhaps you know him from his time as a curator at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. Or you’ve met him in London. Sadly, David is in a hospital in Belize right now. He and his wife, Elizabeth (Liz) Graham, could really use some help from friends right now as they have found themselves in dire straits. Several of us who are members of the Lamanai Archaeological Project—Jim Aimers, Karen Pierce, Louise and Claude Belanger, Laura Howard, and others—have teamed up and are seeking to raise immediate funds for emergency medical expenses for David Pendergast.

David is well-known in Belize for his archaeological research there, including excavating a national icon—the jade head—during his excavations at Altun Ha. He started working at Lamanai in 1974 and was later joined by his then soon-to-be-wife, Liz Graham. David’s work at Lamanai, continued by Liz, changed archaeological views on the famous Maya “collapse”.

This summer David returned to Lamanai to undertake research for an inscriptions project funded by National Geographic (the photo above was taken at the site on June 23), but he was injured when he had a fall in his room on June 25. His condition quickly worsened and he was transported to a hospital in Belize City, where he has been since June 26. Although he has responded to treatment, he is not ambulatory and he needs to return home to London ASAP for further medical care in a hospital there.

The problem is that Liz and David are incurring substantial medical bills in Belize and David’s health insurance (NHS and a supplemental private policy) has proven to be inadequate. The hospital costs to-date are $164,000 Bz or $82,000 US, which must be paid this week. Of course, the cost increases with each day he is in the hospital. Currently, David and Liz are unable to access any more credit while in Belize. Liz has told us that the situation is terrible and embarrassing but she honestly doesn’t know what to do.

We want to help and we are appealing for your help too.

We hope that David will be transferred to a hospital in the UK as early as this week via a commercial flight from Belize, with a nurse accompanying him. That cost alone will be approximately $7,000 US, not including hotels and meals for the nurse. There will also be more bills to come. Once back in the UK it is hoped that David’s health insurance there will kick in and cover his future UK medical expenses. 

Our goal is to raise ₤78,000 (British pounds) (about $90,000 US plus about $2000 for GoFundMe fees) for David’s Belize medical expenses and to cover the cost of his medical air-transfer expenses. We plan to stop collecting donations when David’s needs have been met. Any excess funds (which we expect to be minimal) beyond what is needed for David’s medical-related bills will be used for the Lamanai Archaeology Project. We are only doing this because of this emergency situation. 

Because this money will go to Liz and David's UK bank account , our fundraising goal is in British pounds (₤).  Donors from outside the UK can use credit and debit cards, Paypal, and other methods and an exchange rate will normally be calculated by your card company.   For reference, $100 US is about ₤ 83; $100 CDN is about ₤ 64 .   Here's more information on payment methods:  https://support.gofundme.com/hc/en-us/articles/4402563115412-Payment-options-for-donors

Please help get David and Liz out of this very difficult situation! Please share this widely.