Remember how I was complaining that Hefei was boring... yeah, well, I'm sorry I ever said anything.... As we were leaving the hotel Friday morning, one of the Dads in our travel group, whom I will refer to as SickDad, started feeling queezy. Gravol was offered, but he didn't want it. One diesel bus ride and an hour wait at an overheated airport later, he really wasn't feeling good, but didn't complain. Plane takes off, seat belt signs turn off 15 minutes later and SickWife is asking anyone if their Gravol happens to be nearby. Mortimer's Dad stands up to retrieve it from the overhead bin, only to watch SickDad puke his guts out. Then, he passed out. Then he turned first green, they grey, then sort of..... I don't know, convulse or shake, I'm not sure.
We have the BEST travel group ever. My mom grabbed SickFamily's baby and passed her to my dad, Flintstones Grandma, who is a nurse, fetched ice and cooled him off, Guide got stewerdess to bring oxygen. But then, he was really bad. It happened to be that the 3 Dutch families were on our flight and very tall Dutch guy came over (BTW, no one on the plane offered ANY help at all, not even the staff, except when we begged) and asked if we needed anything, his wife is a doctor. She took over, we layed him in the aisle, elevated his feet, she got the most unhelpful air staff in the world to bring the medical equipment, which she deemed left over from WWII, and tried to listen to his lungs, take his pulse. Eventually, a pilot looking guy came over to ask if he needed to land the plane.
This is the crazy part. As this is happening, our group got together, took care of their child, arranged for an ambulance to meet us at the aircraft at the insistence of our new Doctor friend. And you know what the most unhelpful air staff did? They served lunch. The passed the food trays OVER THE GUYS' BODY to serve the people in the front of the plane. And then, when they tried to pass the FULL TO THE BRIM, STEAMING POT of COFFEE over his limp body, other dad in our group blocked her and stopped her. That was enough. But you know, the Chinese businessmen on the plane, who never offered any help whatsoever, got to eat their airline lunch.
And then, when we landed, they tried to get up. They stayed standing in their seats long enough for our guys to carry SickDad's limp body to the door of the aircraft, because apparently the ambulance guys can't come on board. But as they were passing in the aisle, carrying Sick Dad, the Chinese passengers were filling the Ilse behind them, trying to get off. I stood up on my seat and screamed, at the top of my lungs 'Sit the F*/*/ Down!'. You have never seen 100 Chinese people so stunned in their life. they couldn't move, just long enough for Sick Mom to grab her coat and follow her husband and my dad to the ambulance (yes, super grand-pa accompanied them to the international hospital, with a note from Belgium doctor lady as to what she had done and what she thought he had).
Another crazy part, that ambulance is the airport ambulance, which only took them to the gates of the airport, where they were transfered to another ambulance, but not before they paid the 300 Yuans for the transport form the plane to the airport limits.
Get Travel Insurance people. And don't count on ANYONE to help you. NOONE, except the nice Belgium or Canadian people.
Sick Dad is in the hospital under observation. We sort of knwo what is wrong, but he's not my family, so it's irrelevant to this story. In the mean time, We kept SickBaby for the afternoon, then another family took her for the night. Today is Great Wall Day and we had already booked nannies for all hte kiddies, so that only the adults and big sisters go to the Great Wall (I know, we are heartless people, DO NOT EMAIL me about this). So SickBaby is in good hands until situation is re-evaluated at the end of the day today.
Wow! Good teamwork! After all that trauma, I don't think anyone can give you guys grief for trying to take it easy.
Posted by: Johnny | February 03, 2007 at 09:18 PM
How absolutely terrifying and all I can think is thank goodness you have such an fabulous group of people there. I just knew your Dad was the sort of man you want on a trip like this, you should all be very proud of yourselves for coming through for this poor family.
Yep on the travel insurance and ummmmm did I not just say "boring is good"?
Please let us know how things go, I'm sending all good wishes to this poor family.
Posted by: Debberoo | February 03, 2007 at 10:28 PM
Can I hear a "HELL, YEAH!" for Canadians (and Belgians)?!!
Posted by: atomic mama | February 03, 2007 at 10:31 PM
Wow. Just, wow. That's a very scary situation! I'm glad everyone was on their toes, and that you guys took charge. I'm hoping all goes well for SickDad.
Posted by: OmegaMom | February 03, 2007 at 11:10 PM
Wow. Freaky. Hope he recovers soon. And ditto on the travel insurance. Totally.
Posted by: Pink Devora | February 04, 2007 at 07:12 PM
I feel very guilty for being releaved that the emergency was not mortimers dad.. |But i was relieved for a splitsecond..Now I am just gutted for sickfamily..
Had to laugh because I was already feeling quite proud for my fellow countryman and then you changed the dutch into belgian ;-)
Posted by: mijk | February 05, 2007 at 02:56 AM