A Texas couple faced an unexpected financial burden when their cruise vacation took a disastrous turn.
Khiali Baxter embarked on her first Royal Caribbean cruise with her boyfriend, only for their trip to take a dire turn. Just two days into the voyage from Galveston to Mexico, Baxter became severely ill, finding herself ‘in and out of consciousness’.
The situation rapidly worsened.
“So, I woke up. I started vomiting up blood, unfortunately, and I had passed out on the ground,” she recounted in an interview with KHOU. “I could feel myself kind of going in and out of consciousness. I was very cold and terrified.”
In the midst of her crisis, Baxter was rushed to the ship’s emergency room, where she was diagnosed with a gastrointestinal bleed, causing her hemoglobin levels to plummet dangerously low.
A GoFundMe page for Baxter reports that the bleed posed a life-threatening risk.
As ‘one of the youngest police officers in America’, Baxter endured a four-hour wait on the ship before it could dock at Costa Maya. This allowed her to be transferred to a hospital in Mexico.
Baxter alleges that the ambulance bypassed other hospitals to reach a ‘private and very specific hospital’.
Upon arrival, medical staff ‘demanded $2,500’ upfront before even examining her.
The financial demands continued to rise.
Her parents were contacted for payment to start treatment, but as her father Craig noted, the hospital would only ‘work as far’ as the deposit would allow them.
“I’ve never heard this in my life,” he commented.
Fortunately, her bleeding was slowed, and she underwent an endoscopy and colonoscopy. Yet, Baxter claims she was left without care for nine hours before receiving a blood transfusion and further investigation.
Despite efforts, the hospital couldn’t determine the cause, leading to her discharge.
The family was presented with a $9,970 bill from the hospital, in addition to a $4,048 charge from the cruise line for onboard medical services.
They remain baffled by the $9,000 figure.
Additionally, costs for emergency passports, flights, and accommodations in Mexico piled up, substantially increasing their expenses.
The crux of the financial woes stemmed from Baxter not having travel insurance, a decision she now laments.
“It was a very, very scary experience, and my main thing that I do want to say is that I really wish I would’ve gotten travel insurance,” Baxter admitted.
Baxter and her family are still in the dark regarding the cause of her medical emergency.
Her father reflected on the ordeal: “It was an eye-opening experience that I hope prepares other young people.”
Baxter advises others to always secure travel insurance when traveling abroad, emphasizing: “I can’t tell you how much I wish I would have had it. I’m a law enforcement officer and I’m a proud servant of my community; if it could happen to me, it could happen to anyone.”
In a Facebook update, it was mentioned that Assist America facilitated Baxter’s medical evacuation back to the United States.
Baxter reportedly returned home on September 20 without a diagnosis to explain her condition.
Amid the stress, her family is burdened with substantial bills, though the GoFundMe has recuperated 99 percent of the expenses as of the last update.