Westworld Alberta
Issue link: http://westworldmagazine.ama.ab.ca/i/402160
bon voyage 40 W e s t W o r l d a l b e r t a | w i n t e r 2 0 1 4 curtis comeau A Slip and a Fix: Charonne Laveck When this 65-year-old member fractured her shoulder in Cancun last March, her travel medical insurance came through for her big time. She talked toWestworld about her experience. SAVED: $25,000 So what exactly happened in Cancun – how did you hurt your shoulder? Hurt? Destroyed! It was raining and I was hurrying back to the hotel from the taxi. I don't know whether I slipped or tripped. But anyway, I fell. did you go to the hospital? Yes, the hotel had phoned an ambulance, but the ambulance got a flat tire. So the manager of the hotel took me in his car to the hospital. Once you got there, what happened? Well, first thing, they asked if I had insurance – it was a private hospital. ey phoned AMA and the answer was, "yes, go for it." e hospital just had to wait for a let- ter of financial commitment from AMA. When they got that, then they sent me for surgery immediately. ey were absolutely fabulous to me there in the hospital. So what was the extent of the injury? At first they thought it was a simple break, but after they X-rayed it, a specialist came in and told me it was more than a break – the arm was fractured; bro- ken in three places. e bone was twisted and the muscles were torn. It took 12 pins to fix it. We later discovered that the rotator cuff was damaged as well. do you always travel with AMA insurance? I've had AMA travel medical insurance for years and years and years, and I had let it lapse, thinking, "well we aren't doing the travelling we used to." en I decided to renew it because I was going on this trip. It cost around $300. do you think about what might have happened if you didn't have insurance? Without insurance I would have had to fly home in that condition, in which case the doctors tell me I could have gone into shock and died. at kind of injury causes blood clots, which could cause a stroke or death if you're flying on a plane. Also, because I was with a tour group, and I was basically on my own, AMA flew my daughter from Calgary to be with me. I was so grateful for that. do you have any advice for other travellers? Insurance! Don't hesitate to get it. Like I said, I've had it for years and never used it, but I'll tell you, when I did need it, I was so grateful. W Eternally grateful: in the aftermath of her medical emergency in Mexico, AMA covered Charonne Laveck's bills and her daughter's flight to Cancun.