Don‘t forget travel insurance! (Our medical emergency in Brazil)
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- Опубликовано: 10 июл 2024
- Our trip to Brazil was supposed to be a once-in-a-lifetime adventure, but it was interrupted by a medical emergency my husband had. He had a seizure and was diagnosed with a brain tumor durig our vacation. It was not a pretty situation, but we got through it with the help of our travel insurance.
In the end, we had to travel back to Europe by ambulance jet, which was the safest and most comfortable option for my husband's condition.
In this video, I want to share with you what happened to us and how our travel insurance played a crucial role in getting us through the unexpected medical emergency. I'll also tell you what I would look for if I needed a different travel insurance and what tips I can give to be better prepared for an emergency when traveling. Therefore, travel insurance is essential when traveling abroad, especially when visiting countries with different healthcare systems and cultures, as it provides peace of mind and financial protection in unexpected situations such as accidents, illnesses, and even trip cancelations.
And thanks to everyone who left us a nice comment in the past few weeks. It really helped us a lot & we really appreciate it!!
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In this video, I will talk about:
00:00 Introduction
01:29 What happened to us and how our travel insurance helped
19:25 How to choose a travel insurance
22:39 How to prepare for a medical emergency
26:31 What’s next for us
I'm so, so sorry that you experienced this terrible ordeal, and am very glad that you got home ok and that your husband is doing well right now. I can only imagine how traumatic and scary the whole experience would have been at the time. Thank you for taking the time to tell others about your experience and for doing so in such a positive and pragmatic way. I wish you both well and hope for a speedy recovery. You are right - life is too short and no-one knows what is around the corner for us, and this is an important reminder of that. Best wishes to you both.
Thank you for your courage and willingness to share your experiences with a medical emergency in a remote corner of the world. This video is far more significant than all of the episodes about minimalist packing and capsule wardrobes. No one ever expects to encounter a medical emergency while on vacation but unfortunately it happens. So your advice is invaluable. Best wishes and prayers for both of you.
I totally agree with all that you said, Marion. Thank you. Maggi, for the courage to speak about the ordeal because you care that others may learn. In about 3 months my mother and I will fly from California to Greece for a 2-week visit with family. She is a relatively healthy senior, and it's always better to be safe than sorry. I will make sure to get travel insurance.
Wow. As hard as it all was, you did everything right. Your husband is lucky to have you fighting on his behalf. Brave woman.
Best wishes, and thanks for the hard-won advice.
Thank you, Heather! My husband asked me to let you know that he agrees 100%. ☺️
So sorry to hear of your husband’s illness. Sending prayers for his recovery. Thank you for sharing your story. It must have been hard to relive parts of it, and you did it with such grace. Hope to see you both traveling again soon.
This is the most valuable video about travel we have watched…and we have watched hundreds . Thank you so much for sharing your experience with us. I look forward to your update and wish your husband a full and speedy recovery 🇨🇦
😭 Idk why this 1 yr old video showed up on my feed, but I’m so glad it did. Thank you so much for sharing this difficult experience. I hope your husband is fully recovered by now. ❤ And I’m going to go watch more of your videos
I have heard that dealing with your own family members during a medical emergency is difficult even for trained medical personnel. You did an amazing job dealing with an incredibly scary and difficult situation in a foreign country. Your videos are always informative and even out of a tough situation you came up with a summary of advice. Thank you! Wishing you and Everson a speedy recovery. 👍🏻
This video really touched me. I just want to send so much strength and love your way on the rest of you and your husband's journey to recovery. The very very very best of luck!
Maggi, you are such a strong, positive and generous person. I’m so glad your husband is doing better and I hope that you will both be able to continue your travels. With all that has happened your generosity In sharing your experience and the tips you are giving us for how to prepare better for the totally unexpected is stunning! There are no words to express how impressive you are! Thank you for sharing your travels and this harrowing experience.
I am going to look through more of your videos to look for updates and I send all my wishes for good health for you both.
As a nurse, I have transported patients due to medical emergencies and the saddest moments are when my patient's children are mortgaging their homes and cashing in the grandchildren's college funds to get the patient home. I am so thankful you had an insurance plan to assist you!!!
I have a particular travel insurance company I chose to get an annual plan with because of how well I have experienced the company fulfilling getting travelers home and the arranging of either medical escort flights or full private medical jets. It is a well known company based in the EU.
That sounds incredibly stressful, Maggi. I'm so sorry you're going through this! You were so smart to insist on staying where you were, till you could get the help your husband needed. Thank goodness you were able to get back home in the time that you did, and that he has had his surgery and is cancer free now. All the best to you for a complete recovery, and some normalcy in your lives.
Thank you for putting this very informative video together. Bless you for trying to help people while you're still try to get through this challenge in your lives. Take care...
I’m so sorry to hear of your ordeal, I can't begin to imagine the emotional toll of such an experience! Thank you for sharing this with us, I think this is an important story to share for everyone interested in travelling. I can appreciate this might have been a leap of faith showing a more vulnerable side online and taken a bit if bravery. All the best in the future and I hope all goes well and we hear of your next adventures soon!
I’m Brazilian, I was very sad about what happened, and very ashamed of our country. Unfortunately our people are mistreated like this, without doctors, with dirty hospitals... only the money is worth, as you said, which Brazilian has 8 thousand Euros? I wish your husband all the best
We were in the fortunate situation that we were able to leave and get healthcare somewhere else… My heart still breaks thinking of all the people who don’t have that option.
I have come across one of your old videos about packing today, then I watched a few more videos of you, after a couple of hours I saw your this update just now. I must say that I felt your story as someone from the family. I wish both your husband and you good health. Stay strong!
You’re a brave & brilliant woman. Thank You for sharing & for all the tips & advice🌷🍀🌼
Oh, Maggie! We were SO sorry to hear about this challenging medical emergency! We just prayed for you both. Thank you for sharing your experiences and ideas. Please know we appreciate you and are hopeful for your future!
I am so, so sorry for what you and your husband went through, but glad to hear that he is now cancer free!! Thank you for sharing your hard-earned lessons.
Wow. You both have been through a lot. You handled things very well.
Thank you for sharing your tips and insights for what to do in case of an emergency.
Good luck. I look forward to updates when you can.
It’s so good to see you again. I was thinking about you the other day. I’m sorry to hear of your trouble in Brazil but praise the Lord your sweet hubby is on the mend. ❤️. Thank your for these tips about travel insurance. It was so kind of you to make this video to help others. Please keep us posted on your progress. Hugs to you and your husband!
Absolutely praise God for getting you home AOK
Such a terrifying ordeal, I can't imagine your thoughts & emotions during this medical emergency. Sending a big hug from Johannesburg South Africa. Thank you for your very informative & inspiring videos. ❤❤❤
♥♥♥♥♥♥ I am so sorry all of that happened to you. Best wishes for his very speedy recovery and I hope you both can travel again soon.
[Exit code from overseas country + entry number for Austria + phone number] is the way to phone without internet.
Always take a full list of these codes when you travel.
You have made a very important video, that for even healthy young travellers, terrible things can happen that can necessitate emergency evacuation. Thank you for this.
My best wishes to you and your loved one.
Thanks! I had no idea. In Europe we are a little bit spoilt I guess, we don‘t really need this exit codes… 😅 And I think I tried all of the exit codes (Brazil has one per provider), but in the end, I couldn’t get it to work. But I guess I was also not the best situation to try to make this work, so there is a high chance I desperately did the wrong thing. 😅 I really like your idea of having the codes ready, and as I said in the video, from now on I will test how to do it once arrive in a country. 😊
Thank you for sharing. And also, thank you for teaching us about becoming a minimalist traveler.
We all understand that you focus will now be on your husband, not on posting content . And, that there will be a pause in your travels.
We’ll be here waiting for you BOTH to return to share you journey.
See you soon.
Thanks for your nice message. :) Actually, I was thinking of going back to creating content more regularly. Now I have the chance to “level up” my travel gear and order and test a few new things. And I thought I could put all the time we are now sitting around waiting for doctors and appointments editing videos on my iPad, so it would not be so much wasted time. ;-)
Maggi, so sorry you went thorough this ordeal but glad you got home and the help you need. You are a great dedicated and loving wife. May you both have health and happiness
So sorry to hear about this traumatic situation, Maggi. Sounds like you handled it amazingly well, in the circumstances. Best wishes to you both, & to your husband for a full & speedy recovery.
I wish you luck that Everson's condition improves every day. Thank you for sharing this very stressful experience. You have brought to our attention the importance of every detail to prepare for travel because the worst CAN happen and did to you and your husband. Thank you.
You have such strength. I am proud of how you kept it all together while caring for your husband, your #1 priority. Many of us might have just crumbled. You are lucky to have each other. ❤
Wow what a terrible dilemma to be in, so far away from home. Thank God you had the travel insurance. Your own reason & resourcefulness was amazing. You realized what was important & what wasn't. Everson's medical problem has now been dealt with. Best wishes for peace & calm for both of you. May God bless & keep you.
Wow. What a horribly frightening and stressful experience! I'm so glad you were covered and supported by your insurance provider and that your husband is doing better. I pray that his recovery is fast and full. Many of us have to learn these lessons the hard way. I caught Covid in March 2020 while teaching overseas. I was hospitalized and subjected to subpar medical treatment. Fortunately, I was a former citizen of that country and I was covered under EU health insurance. I was also not considered "Fit to Fly so I was stuck away from home for months. I did not budget for an extra long stay. I have had numerous health issues stemming from Long Covid so I now have "pre-existing conditions" that the travel insurance provider will not cover, and if they do, it will be far more expensive. Something to think about.
Oh wow, what a terrible experience. We were stuck in the hospital for around 10 days - and that already felt like an eternity. I can only imagine how hard that was for you! 😶
I wish you all the best! 🤗
I saw one of your packing videos and then this was the next video suggestion and I'm so glad I watched it because I now realize how important this is. I'm sorry you had to experience this but I'm glad you were able to navigate the difficulties. I want to send my best wishes for a healthy future for both of you.
Maggi, I’m so very sorry to hear this. I’m so glad that your husband’s surgery was successful and he, and you, are safe at home.
So very sorry for the anxiety you and your husband endured. So glad for you that you are home and he is cancer free. Please know I will keep you in my prayers. Best wishes for you both. ❤
omg this is unreal. i am glad you are fine. thank you for being so open and clear about what you went thru. how you handled everything. wow. this is just so crazy. you were brave and smart... and i can only hope that if i am faced with such a situation, that i will be able to handle it as well as you have. take care. and wishing you all the best...
Thank you for your account of events and your dealings with the insurance company and international calling. Great advice, so much appreciated for other travelers. I pray for Everson’s health and healing. Stay positive, Maggie! I hope you never go through that again.
Oh my!!! Thank you for sharing this. And the trauma & how to navigate! Hugs to you both.
Thanks Kari!
Prayers all is well for your husband and that you are both blessed with peace.
How very scary for you both. We had a horrible medical situation for my husband on a trip to New York a few years ago but it wasn't life threatening and English is our native language. But I completely agree about travel insurance and how comforting it was to have someone supporting us at any time. Best wishes for the future and speedy recovery for your husband xx
This happened to me and ex wife 30 years ago but we were on the Canary Islands so not as bad as a remote island, good luck for the future
Thank you for sharing your story and such a tough break for you (especially your husband of course). Such good advice regarding insurance, travelling light and being prepared. I certainly hope that everything turns out ok in the longer term and that you can soon get back to living your dream. I wish you both the very best of luck for the future and I look forward to your next vlog.
Wishing your husband a quick recovery back to good health.
Oh no! So sorry to hear that! I can't even begin to imagine the stress, worry, and helplessness. Very good information and tips. Thank you so much for sharing.
Wishing you both good health and speedy recovery through all of this!
Glad to hear you two got back safe and he is doing well. Recovery can be rough. Stay strong. 🖤 🖤 🖤
This whole ordeal sounds like the most stressful thing imaginable. Glad that you are safe. Thanks for sharing this experience. I am now taking insurance much more seriously than before.
I have thought about you both, I'm so glad he is home safe and under a doctors care. Please continue to keep us updated. 🙏🏼💕
I'm so sorry that you two had to do all of this, wishing you a full recovery and many years of traveling together.
Sorry to hear what happening on your husband during the trip. Hopefully he will be recovered smoothly soon after his surgery. Take care.😘🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
Thank you so much, Maggi, for sharing your story and this information with us. It is so kind of you to share this in order to help others, and doesn’t surprise me at all after watching your videos for some time now. I’m so sorry this happened to you both and am sending healing thoughts your way. Hope you are both back on the road very soon.
Oh Maggi, i am happy you are home and your husband is doing the best he can under the circumstances. Thank you for this posting. I have some underlying health issues, but still travel, but always with travel insurance. I will now double check that it has medical assistance. (In fact had a heart attack while surfing in hawaii and hospitalized for a week, then took my scheduled flight home.) Also i cant imagine the stress you were under and how alone you must have felt those first hours and days. I am glad your insurance company stepped up to the plate.
Please keepmposting videos, even if it is about daily life in Austria. And give your husband and yourself some very big hugs.
I pray for you and your husband. God bless.
Every traveller's nightmare. Thanks for sharing this video.
I'm so glad that you both are back and recovering. I hope he continues in his recovery. Thank you for sharing this experience with us and being so transparent so that we can learn and be prepared. Please take care of yourself too! Don't burn out. I will be praying for y'all and look forward to the next update (hopefully with you both well enough too be on camera). 💕
Viel Glück, gute Besserung an das Sorgenkind und Euch beiden eine gute Erholung. Danke für dein Video und die wertvollen Einblicke. Ich hoffe sehr, Ihr könnt bald wieder unterwegs sein und weiterhin die Welt zusammen geniessen. Alles Gute aus der Schweiz.🤞
How awful. Thanks for sharing. Glad he is ok. Hope you get to travel again soon.
Thank you for the update. What a traumatic situation for you both. I'm glad that you're home and your husband has received excellent care. Thank goodness for your travel insurance helpline, they sound like (literal) lifesavers.
Now that you have some more breathing room, make sure you take some time for yourself to recover as well. Being the well one in that kind of situation is extraordinarily stressful. Take care both of you and I hope to see you on a more leisurely adventure sometime soon.
Gosh what a stressful experience, thank you very much for sharing. It is interesting to hear the processes for claiming on travel insurance. Wishing your husband all the best for a fast and full recovery.
Yes, you brought up excellent points because health care and how it’s covered and paid for is different in every country. In the USA I’ve used a company called Insure My Trip to look for travel insurance with medical assist , medical care , evacuation etc because in the USA medical coverage does not cover you outside the USA and you need to make this Primary ,get it in place almost immediately when you book your trip to avoid pre- existing health problems and look back windows . Deductible etc and most important as you’ve stated who pays first and whether they re- imburse you or do you have to pay first . Also does it cover your travel partners and additional stay behind accommodations for them or a family member who needs to visit you. Covid was and still is a rapidly changing coverage area so make sure some Infectious Diseases aren’t excluded. Receipts etc are critical and things like language barriers make it difficult . You never know how strong the company is until you use it. Also you need to know your personal health risks but even accidents can happen anywhere. I often travel alone .I think all should look at the health care availability etc where they are traveling with as much research as they do for other parts of the trip. For these reasons some places I will never visit in my life because of these fears. In your next house sitting or other trips I would look at these issues for you and your husband and make contact with a Neurologist or Oncologist in your future trips if you’re staying for a long period in case he needs to be seen or have adjustments in his meds especially when travelling outside the EU . Glad things are looking good for your husband. He is fortunate to live in a country where there is excellent medical care for all.
Great points. I absolutely agree - you never know how good a company is until you need them - we were very lucky with ours. And my husband has appointments and scans every three months with the Oncologists and the Neurologists and they always „clear“ us for travel for the next few months. But it is important to do that and not just „go“.
Best wishes for your husband's full recovery. Thank you for sharing your story. Hugs to you for dealing with this stressful, emotional situation. ❤
Oh my goodness. This was a shock. I’m so sorry that you had to go through this but so happy that your husband is on the healing end of things and that you are not in the hook for hundreds of thousands of dollars for medical bills. I am paranoid about not having enough health insurance when we travel. We are from Canada so we also have free medical coverage at home. We will be here waiting patiently for your next upload, whenever that may be. You guys just look after you and stay strong!
Firstly, so glad you were able to make it home safely & that your husband is on his way to being healthy. What a scare. I will be taking the advice you gave on having my medical history written in French & Spanish (the countries I will travel to) and keep it with me in hard copy as well as take photo's so I have it on my phone. Thank you again for all you do for us.
I can only recommend it. Everyone was very impressed when we were able to provide them with Everson’s complete medical history, because we digitized everything when we gave up our apartment and stored everything in the Google cloud. That was so helpful. :)
PS: And I would like to hear howit worked out with your garden boots on your trip! What a challenge! :)
I'm so sorry to hear about your horrific experience but I'm so very glad you're both home and your husband is improving. I wondered why you hadn't posted in a while but just assumed you were busy living your best life. Sending positive, healing energy to you both. I'm sure you're taking wonderful care of your husband but don't forget to take care of yourself too. 💜
This is so scary! I would have no idea what to do! Both during the seizure and after, when it comes to dealing with insurance, hospitals etc. You were actually really prepared and knew a lot of what to do. I'm glad that you are ok now and I hope that his health keeps improving ♥
Maggie, so sorry to hear about what happened. You are an amazingly strong lady, I wish you and your husband the very best, speedy recovery to him, and please continue to make more videos! Sending you LOVE! 💕
Wow. I’m so sorry this has happened to you. I hope you’re both doing well. ❤
Thank you for sharing this with us, it must have been a hard video to do. I hope your husband is healing quickly and returning to good health. I always love your videos for the incredibly practical information you share and this one had so much! I really appreciate you making this one. Thank you. ❤
I have only just caught up with this video and was shocked and very emotional listening to your story. So pleased things worked out and hope that your husband makes a complete recovery and you can move on with enjoying your lives. You are a wonderful person and I respect you enormously.
Thank you. ♥️ He‘s doing much better already. :)
Wishing you and your husband the very best!
How scary! What a terrible thing to have to witness and go through. I'm glad he's on the mend and I wish you both the best in the future endeavors you'll share!
I do wish you the best of luck 🍀. In light of all you’re going through, I very much appreciated that you took the time to share your experience and advice. Please know that we will take your recommendations to heart and should our travels take us down some unforeseen path, your advice will be so very much appreciated 🤗🤗🤗.
Thank you so much!
That is so scary!!! So glad that there were strong, helpful local people there to help you. So sorry for the traumatizing memories. So glad that he is still here.
Bless your heart! I’m so sorry this happened, but I’m glad you got a good result after all was said and done. You are so smart to have handled everything so well. Thanks for sharing your story and information. It will be very helpful to so many people.
Omg! What an adventure! Good information….glad he’s had surgery and is on the mend! Take good care!
thank you for sharing and praying your husband is in much better health today!
¡Que susto! Querida Maggi, te mando un abrazo muy apretado y otro a Everson con cariño para los dos.
Que bueno que ya están en casa y Everson está siendo atendido. Espero que tenga una pronta recuperación.
Son noticias que me entristecen pero muchas gracias por compartirlas.
Por favor mantennos informados de su salud.
Te mando un beso.
I'm so sorry for what you've been through and I'm happy that you can make it safe to your home country. I learned a lot from watching your travel tips and hope to see more from your guys. I wish you all the best!
Also, very thankful for the reminder to make sure I have the insurance. I am headed to Austria next week. My plan was expiring during my trip. EEK! Just renewed for another year....
Where in Austria are you going to? :)
I am going to Vienna.
So sorry to hear of the challenges you faced and thank you for sharing. I hope things work out and I wish you all the best in the future. Hopefully, we’ll be hearing of your new adventures in no time!
Thank you George! ♥️
Sending prayers for you and Everson!! I had been missing your video's and now see you had far more important things to attend to. Thank you for letting us in on what has been happening in your family and for choosing to see the positive sides of this very difficult situation! You are a light and I know you and Everson together will find your next right steps!
Holy moly, im only just watching this now, but thank you for sharing your story. How traumatic for you both. My family and I are travelling from New Zealand to Europe next year and I will be taking sll your advice. Big hugs to you and healing for Everson.
Thank you so much for sharing your story and hard-learned lessons. I’m glad to know he’s better. All the best to you both ❤
Thank you so much! All the best to you too! 🤗
Great info. Thanks for sharing. I hope everything turns out well for the both of you!
Great video! Thanks for everything!
Wow, this video made me want to cry for you. I hope that you are both doing well and that your partner is healing nicely. Thank you for sharing this experience.
Thank you. :) He is doing much better, and our life is slowly going back to normal. :)
Oh. I am so sorry that happened. You were brave to deal with this, and also brave to tell the story. I wish you both all the best for the future. G.Ashby
All the best to you and your husband, and thank you for the tips.
I wish you all the best and hope you both have some quiet, gentle time together to get over it. Wishing you both all the best that life can offer.
Maggie youre an amazing woman! Sending you lots of good wishes. And a speedy recovery for your beloved xx
I'm so sorry you both had to go through that, I hope you're both feeling a lot better now xxx
Hugs!!!!! I’m sorry this happened to you.
Sorry to hear it.
Thanks a lot for sharing 🙏
Wish good health for both of you and all in family. Takecare.
Thank you :)
Maggi! I’m sorry you had to live this terrible situation. I wish you guys the best and that the recover for your husband will get better soon!
I appreciate so much that you shared your experience with us.
I know you talk about the trips you are doing, so you can still doing videos about past trips, or whatever you have to share.
Sending you big hugs!!! ❤
I thought during my “break” and start upgrading my travel gear and testing new things. And I can use the time I sit around waiting in hospitals and doctors offices editing videos on my iPad, so it’s not such a “waste” of time. 😅
That’s amazing! I’m always happy to watch you!
🤗Wishing you all the best!
Thank you for sharing. I will have you both in my prayers.
I am so sorry to hear about this experience. I truly hope that all goes well now and into the future. You are your husband are both very brave and deserve the best. Thank you for sharing this with us and, even under the circumstances, taking the time to explain some things that I had never really given much thought to until now.
I was just thinking the other day how you were going because it was worrying hearing your previous updates. Thanks for the well put together video explaining everything. Good luck with the coming months, and we would like to see you back here when you are ready. No hurry.
Best of luck for you both!
This video was so informative! So glad you made it home safely! Thoughts and prayers for you ❤🙏🏻
Oh my goodness. What a terrible ordeal for what was to be a wonderful trip. Best thoughts and wishes to you both and I wish your husband a speedy recovery. Bless you both! ❤fr Canada
Hello there Maggie I’m so filled with sorrow that this situation occurred during what was intended to be a fun holiday!
Sounds like your resourcefulness was stretched to your limit, & then some!
I’m thankful that Emerson got the medical care he needed, thanks to your joint decision to get good thorough insurance, go you! However, it was also down to your Advocacy too, that’s lovely!☺️
I wish you both healing and good therapy, and enjoyable closer to home trips, post treatment!
Also wishing Emerson the best outcome from the cancer treatments, it’s a tough road! I am two years and counting cancer free, post treatment for Leukaemia, so I know how much cancer sucks!
Take care, thanks for sharing!
Kindly,
Sharlot from Australia (the place with Kangaroos)😊😁🌻✨🧚♂️
Thank you for your kind words! I wish you all the best. 🤗
Sending you both well-wishes for health and happiness.
Hello Maggi, really moving experiences and news, I hope your husband recovers well from all the treatments.
Your tips are always very helpful, I really hope that you can go back to travel soon!!