Medical Evacuation from a Cruise Ship

A medical evacuation is probably the last thing you have on your mind as you get on a cruise ship and start your vacation. Unfortunately, it happened to us.

My husband and I were booked on a 7-day Southern Caribbean Cruise on the Holland America Westerdam. The itinerary included docking in Half Moon Cay, Holland America’s private island, then on to Aruba and Curacao in the southern Caribbean Sea. It never occurred to me that we would not make it past Half Moon Cay on this particular cruise.

The Begining of the Medical Emergency

On arrival, we unpacked, attended the safety drill and were getting ready to join our friends for dinner when my husband developed chest pain. Since he had a 5-way bypass five years prior to the cruise, this was of concern to us. I notified the medical center and the nurse told us to come on down. Meanwhile, my husband took a nitroglycerin pill and started feeling a little better. He refused to go to the medical center although, I must say, he did look worried.

The Decision

The next morning, we made our first stop at the remote, private island, Half Moon Cay, located 100 miles southeast of Nassau in the Bahamas. At breakfast, my husband debated whether to leave the ship as we would be at sea for the next 3 days before arriving in Aruba. They would not be able to evacuate him from the ship during that time so if it was serious, his life would be in danger. After breakfast, he decided to leave. We went to the medical center and were told that if he had not left on his own, the captain would have ordered him to do so.

Getting Ready for Transport

The nurse took him to a large treatment room designed to handle major emergencies, started an IV and got him ready for transport. He got the ball rolling with the insurance company. I asked for and received a tour of the facility and as a former emergency department nurse, I was quite impressed.

Meanwhile, I went to our cabin and packed. They offered the assistance of a staff member but I knew I could pack better myself.  I threw things in those bags with lightning speed. When the bags were ready, crew members took them away.

Medical Evacuation by Tram

As soon as arrangements were complete, they secured my husband on a stretcher. Once off the ship they transferred him to a tram where he sat on one of the benches. We took a 20-minute bumpy ride across the island to a small, secluded beach. At that point, they transferred my husband back to the stretcher and carried him to the sand beach. A seaplane would be landing in a few minutes.

Medical Evacuation by Sea Plane

The sea plane glided onto the surface of the ocean and stopped offshore. The crew rolled up their pant legs and carried our luggage onboard then carried and secured the stretcher inside the seaplane. I rolled up my pant legs, took off my shoes and waded out to join them. Stepping clumsily onto the pontoon, I proceeded up the steps. There was just room for the nurse, the patient, me, our bags plus the pilot.

Medical Evacuation by Air Ambulance

We flew a short distance to the Rock Sound International Airport in Eleuthera, Bahamas, population 961. The staff transferred us to a Lear Jet Air Ambulance with 2 new pilots, a nurse and a paramedic. It was slightly larger but still compact.

Transportation to the Hospital

In about 45 minutes we arrived at the Ft. Lauderdale FL International Airport where an ambulance was waiting to transport us to the hospital. All went smoothly though we had to wait a bit for an emergency cardiac catheterization at the hospital. While we waited, the company contracted by the travel insurance company to do the evacuation, kept in touch with me by phone to smooth the way.

On the Way Home

The cardiac catheterization showed that one of the 5 bypasses had closed but this was not life-threatening so we could be discharged the next day. I tried to change my return flight but the airlines said that nothing was available. When I told the evacuation company representative, she said she would take care of it and she did. She scheduled us to leave the following day.

Should You Buy Travel Insurance?

The answer is a resounding “yes”! Three different insurance policies provided emergency coverage but it still took a year of processing. In the end, they paid every single penny. The air ambulance alone cost over $19,000!

Summary

I tend to watch everything closely due to my emergency services background. Without exception, everyone involved in this medical evacuation was kind and performed in the most professional manner.

Addendum

Two months later the chest pain returned and my husband was admitted to the cardiac unit of our local hospital. No one could figure out the cause of the pain until his cardiologist said to me, “I think it may not be his heart. It might be his gallbladder.” And sure enough, it was. Our surgeon removed the badly infected gall bladder and my husband made a full recovery.