we interrupt this medical emergency to serve you lunch

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.

Comments

[Hebr]

Cursing out people in foreign countries could be a new segment on Living Montreal. Holy crap! What a flight. Hope SickDad and the entire SickFamily are doing better. They were lucky to be in your travel group.

[Herb]

Cursing out people in foreign countries could be a new segment on Living Montreal. Holy crap! What a flight. Hope SickDad and the entire SickFamily are doing better. They were lucky to be in your travel group.

[jen]

Holy crap! was going to be my reaction, but Herb got there first. So I think I'll say Holy Shit! I can't believe none of the plane staff did anything. Wow.

[k2]

I think that Holy Crap, or Holy Shit!!!! is the only appropriate response.

I don't suppose you could name the airline, as a public service?

[Jen]

Love what you did. Love it. I hope SickDad is ok. God, that must have been the longest, most surreal flight. Lunch over the man in the aisle - aaackk! Unbelievable.

[carrie]

K2 says it best. Bloody Hell I add.
Please what airline?????????
And I hope he is getting better.
This could be the reason to travel as a group (says one without an agency and going solo)...

[Amyesq]

Oh my God! That is ridiculous! Good for you guys to band together. Please let us know how SickDad is doing.

[Doris Clark]

I hope SickDad feels better. And that the rest of the trip has far less drama

[Sister Carrie]

Wow! You guys are like superheroes or something. I'd pay money to see video of you shouting at the passengers. Do let us know how SickDad is doing. Now I feel the need to get some Gravol, though I don't know what it is.

[Joan]

For anyone that doesn't know, Gravol is a motion sickness/travel pill that is bought over the counter in Canada but I don't think it is available in the U.S.