‘Pretty scary’: Ill Ontario man stranded in Costa Rica finally recovering in Canada

The daughter of a seriously ill Ontario man who was stranded in a Costa Rica due to a lack of available hospital beds back home is relieved now that he's recovering in Canada.

The daughter of an Ontario man, who faced a medical emergency and was stranded in Costa Rica due to a shortage of available hospital beds back home, is relieved that he’s now recovering in Canada.

Emma Rice and her father Grant are finally both back in Ontario after the 69-year-old was put on a ventilator earlier this month — an experience that she describes as “pretty scary” for both of them.

She previously told Global News that while her father was on vacation in Costa Rica, he started to develop numbness in his tongue, which quickly spread throughout his face, leading to difficulty swallowing and eventually compromising his ability to breathe effectively.

She said flew out to Costa Rica on April 9th after learning her father was ill. Following her arrival, Grant was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome, sometimes known as GBS, which is a rare but serious autoimmune disorder.

“It basically causes nerve paralysis. Quite often it starts in the limbs, but with him, it started in his head,” Emma said.

After spending the next few weeks in a San Jose hospital room, Grant was finally stable enough to return to Ontario on a medical evacuation flight. However, insurance or a flight weren’t the issue, but finding an available hospital bed in Ontario was.

Martin Firestone, a travel insurance broker in Toronto and president of Travel Secure Inc., explained to Global News that if someone falls ill while on vacation and the doctors in this location advise returning to their home province quickly, there are options for air evacuation. However, the key is that they must have a bed available in a local hospital.

“The bottom line is it’s very difficult to get beds this day and age. But the air evacuation will not just bring you to the airport and leave you…there has to be a hospital to take you to,” said Firestone.