Manitoba woman dies of mystery illness after trip to Cuba

Manitoba woman dies of mystery illness after trip to Cuba
Family of Barb Johnston, 54, warns Canadian travellers to have emergency
plan
By Riley Laychuk, CBC News Posted: Jan 13, 2016 1:09 PM CT Last Updated:
Jan 13, 2016 1:21 PM CT

The family of a Manitoba woman who got sick in Cuba and died a day after
getting back to Canada is warning travellers to be prepared for every
emergency.

Barb Johnston, 54, of Oak Lake, Man., died on Dec. 29 at the Brandon
Regional Health Centre, following a month-long illness that started in
Cuba, where she and her husband, John, had travelled for one of their
regular sun vacations.

Barb developed flu-like symptoms on Nov. 26 while staying on Cayo Santa
Maria, said her husband, John. She took a turn for the worse and they
headed to a medical clinic on Nov. 27, he said.

"The resorts are absolutely gorgeous where the tourists are, the
facilities are beautiful, the beaches are amazing," John said. "But once
we got to the medical centre, it was a horrendous shock.

"It was very dirty, everything had rust on it, there was no doors on
anything, everyone seemed to be in their street clothes."

Staff at the clinic had her transferred later that morning to a hospital
more than two hours away on mainland Cuba. She was admitted to the
intensive care unit, put on a ventilator and treated for septic shock.

The hospital didn't have food, water or public toilets that worked, the
family said. Sinks were also few and far between. At one point, hospital
staff asked the family to go and bring back orange juice and push it
though Barb's feeding tube, the said.

Few spoke English at the hospital and getting any information was
difficult, John said.

"It was very basic medical care," said their son Riley, who is a
paramedic in Manitoba. "The Cuban doctors were doing medical practice
from years ago. They didn't have up-to-date medical practices and stuff
like that."

Barb stayed in the Cuban hospital for seven days. The family had
communication difficulties and asked Canadian officials for translation
help, but none was provided. Global Affairs Canada told the CBC consular
officials provided assistance in the case, but would release little
information, citing privacy concerns.

The family turned to family and friends in Canada for help.

They spoke to doctors in Canada, who tried to help them determine what
her condition was and what type of care she needed, Riley said.

They decided to fly Barb, who was still critically ill but showing signs
of improvement, via air ambulance to the U.S. She was set to be flown
out of Cuba on Dec. 2, destined for the Broward Medical Health Centre in
Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

However, the Cuban doctors wouldn't let her go, John said. He was asked
to sign a paper in Spanish that made it clear they were moving her
against doctors' advice, nullifying any insurance coverage. After more
phone calls and red tape, the family and air ambulance crew got approval
to move her out.

'Christmas morning was a bad one'

Over the next 10 days, while still in critical condition, Barb showed
progress, John said.

However, on Dec. 20, doctors in Florida said she had developed an
antibiotic-resistant pneumonia. She deteriorated even further and the
family flew down to be with her for Christmas.

"Christmas morning was a bad one," Riley said, while John fought tears.
"The doctors said they didn't expect her to last more than 48 hours. She
wasn't responding as well to treatments and they didn't expect her to
survive."

At that point, they decided to make sure she got home alive. Barb was
flown from Florida to the Brandon Regional Health Centre on the morning
of Dec. 28.

"Barb was a hell of a strong lady, and I'm sure she was gonna be damn
sure she made it home," John said.

Taking a commercial flight delayed by a storm, Riley arrived in Brandon
just before midnight on Dec. 28. Barb passed away one hour later,
surrounded by family.

"She hung on until he got there," John said, fighting back tears.

Family members don't think they'll ever find out what first caused Barb
to get sick due to the progression of her illness.

They urge others headed down to Cuba and other resort destinations to be
prepared for any sort of emergency.

A way to communicate with people at home is also necessary, as dialling
out from Cuba was a big challenge, Riley said. The lack of public
telephones was also an issue.

The Johnstons did have insurance for medical emergencies in Cuba but
also faced tens of thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket expenses for
things like flights, accommodations, phone calls and other necessities.

They are just starting to get those costs detailed and prepared. The
family isn't sure how much will be covered by insurance.

"Be prepared and get out as quick as possible if you get sick," John
said. "Don't wait. Get a commercial flight or a LifeFlight out."

Source: Manitoba woman dies of mystery illness after trip to Cuba -
Manitoba - CBC News -
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/manitoba-woman-dies-trip-cuba-1.3402024