“The Future Is Still Quite Uncertain”: Family of Surfer, Suffering From Rare Condition Faced by 3 in 1,000,000 People, Makes a Saddening Appeal

With busy schedules and long working days, taking a break has become essential. A seaside holiday is a perfect way to erase all stress. Sipping drinks on the beach, doing some surfing in warm pristine waters, swimming in the ocean, and getting a nice tan. What could ever go wrong? Turns out, a lot could, and did go wrong for Alex Robertson, a Canadian national who went on a vacation in the Caribbean.

The Whistler man got gravely injured while surfing in the toasty waters of the Caribbean and had to be hospitalized to get urgent treatment. Now, his family has come forward to make an emotional plea.

Surfing holiday proves to be near-fatal

Alex Robertson and his partner Rachel Hindle, arrived in Curaçao on April 29 to join his parents, brother, and sister-in-law. The family planned on soaking in some sunshine, exploring the warm waters on a surfboard, and in general spending quality time with each other. Little did they know, things were about to take a turn for the worse.

Robertson, during a surfing session, swallowed some seawater. This is not an uncommon occurrence, but what happened next was. Alex Robertson started feeling ill and violently expelling the water. However, this was no mere attempt of his body to clean itself.

Soon, Robertson started having difficulty breathing, coupled with remarkable pain. He was rushed to the Curaçao Medical Centre’s emergency room, where the doctors’ diagnosis was that Robertson tore his esophagus. They informed his family that Alex had Boerhaave’s Syndrome, an exceptionally rare, highly lethal gastrointestinal tract disorder.

The condition is so rare that the incidence rate is only 0.0003 percent per year or 3.1 per 1,000,000 people. However, the mortality rate is not that meager and goes up to 40 percent. The syndrome results in spontaneous rupture of the esophagus due to straining. Due to this injury consequential to the syndrome, Robertson had to undergo multiple surgeries.

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The first one was a thoracotomy surgery, which was necessary to save his life. The other one was to clear out his chest cavity. According to Pique News Magazine, Hindle revealed, Robertson “has been healing well. As he slowly recovers the hospital has been removing the life-saving tubes, IVs and other medical devices. He is able to drink clear liquids and is regaining his independence”.

However, he still has a long way to go and his family needs help. Robertson’s brother and sister-in-law created a GoFundMe campaign, and said, “The future is still quite uncertain at the moment and this tragic event has led to an immense amount of unforeseen expenses.”

The family requires assistance to cover hefty hospital bills

Because Robertson is in a shaky condition right now, he has to stay at the hospital in the Caribbean, and cannot be transferred to Canada for at least 2-3 weeks. Alex is a snowboard coach who has been living in British Columbia for 14 years. Right now, he has to maintain a liquid diet and according to the physiotherapist, need to restrict his movements as well. One of the major problems being faced by the victim and his family is obvious: money. Being a Canadian, he does not have travel or health insurance outside.

Hospital bills continue to stack up without any funds to pay them. Therefore, they started a GoFundMe campaign, hoping for some external help. The hospital bill itself is expected to be about $50,000, and in addition to that will be the expenses for the family’s extended stay. While the GoFundMe campaign has raised about $30,000, it has yet to reach its goal of $100,000. However, every little help will hopefully decrease some financial burden on Robertson and his family.

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