Family Asks For Help After Battle Creek Man Gets Stranded In Mexico
A Battle Creek man is trapped in Mexico after suffering a stroke on May 14th. If he can not get back to a hospital in the U.S., he may be permanently paralyzed.
A Battle Creek couple says they are trapped in Mexico after a medical emergency and are pleading for help getting back home. On May 14, just as Denny and Patsy Eldred were packing to return home after spending the winter in Puerto Vallarta Mexico, Patsy heard a loud crash. When she turned she found her husband crumpled on the floor after suffering a massive stroke that has left him paralyzed. Now running out of money, the couple is desperate to get home to get Denny the medical attention he needs, or else he may be permanently paralyzed.
While Patsy does what she can to help her husband in Mexico, Patsy's daughter Kim is doing everything she can from Michigan to bring her mom and step-dad home.
They moved him from the Medassist Hospital to the Regional Hospital Tuesday night. My mom couldn’t afford to keep him at the private hospital any longer. I’ve tried to contact the Embassy on this side and the American Council in Guadalajara. I’ve contacted several government officials. I heard back from Stabenow’s office yesterday. They said they had contacts there with the Embassy and they would make sure they would contact my mom and me that same day. No word so I called her rep back today and she said she didn’t have much luck either but would reach back out today. Waiting. I’ve contacted several organizations that could fly Denny back home but no medical assistance on the plane. He needs complete medical care 24/7. I’ve got quotes from 2 air ambulance companies for $25,000 and $35,000 ~Kim Danke
The family has started a GoFundMe to try and raise the necessary funds for an air ambulance to transfer him safely to a hospital in the United States. You can contribute to their GoFundMe by clicking here.
Kim says she has also reached out to Governor Whitmer's office for help but has yet to hear back. We reached out to U.S. Representative Justin Amash's office to see if he was aware of the situation and if there was anything he could do to help but have not heard back by the time this was published.