19th Sept:
I arrived at the Jayakarta Hotel poolside to find the BIMC Ambulance to find Rhiannon laying on the ground paraylised from the shoulders downshe was conscious and was able to tell me she could feel anything. After finally getting her into the Ambulance and to the BIMC she was sent for a CT Scan where it was determined she had broken in C6 Vertabrae in her neck and had to have an emergency operation as the fragments of the bone were compressing on her spinal cord and if we didn't get her operated on within 6 hours Rhiannons cord would be severed and she would either die or left a vegetable. Our travel Insurance company was contacted after me having to pay on my credit card $3,000 for the Scan, (I'm not complaining but what if I didn't have my card with me?) Our Insurer was Mondial Insurance through Medibank Private, they advised that I did not have a choice but to have her operated on in Sangla Denpasar City Hospital, I was also told there was no time to fly her out to Perth or Singapore for the operation as time was of the essense for her to be stabilised. I remember screaming the hospital down thinking this had to be a dream and not real! Mondial wasn't at all happy about having her operated in Bali but we had no choice or I would have lost my baby girl. The BIMC doctor contacted a Neurosurgeon who said he would meet us at Sangla hospital to perform the operation. We were then transferred to Sangla, the whole time Rhiannon being concious and crying and me trying to be the strong mum explaining what was going to happen to her. When we got to Sangla I and taken into the Trauma Centre I just fell apart. I couldn't believe that this was where my daughter was going to be operated on. The hygiene standards were terrible, they pushed Rhiannon into a corner on her trolley and I was told to wait for the doctor. It seem like hours had gone past and my beautiful friends who live in Bali arrived (I thank god) as the language barrier was terrible hardly anyone in a white coat spoke English, I was beside myself and Rhiannon was petrified! My friends spoke Indonesian and they asked how long before the doctor was coming and they kept saying he was on his way, this was approx 3 hours after we had arrived, Bec had fallen apart and she was out in the Ambulance Bay talking to my best friend in Australia to advise of what had happened, My friends who live in Bali went to get me coffee and to contact my husband who had already been informed by our Insurer and was making travel arrangements to get to Bali, when all of a sudden a loud noise happened and everyone started running out of the hospital, Doctor, Nurses, Security Guards, patients were being pushed out and everyone was screaming, I could'nt understand what was happening, I heard a loud noise but didn't think anything as I was numb and in shock because of Rhiannon. Rhiannon started to scream and tell me that we were going to die here, I told her not to be silly, that everything would be o.k., but just then I panicked and ran to the door to see what was happening. It was an Earthquake the biggest Bali had ever had, I ran back to Rhiannon cause I thought if we are going to die, we will be together. Then about 10 minutes later everyone started to come back in and the Doctors and everyone were walking around with scared looks on their faces and I was petrified but trying not to show Rhiannon. My friends all walked back in safely and explained what had happened. Rhiannon was operated on not with 6 hours but 9 hours later as the surgeon had got stuck in the Earthquake and couldn't get through due to debris (This is what we were told). What we experience in the Trauma Centre I will never forget for the rest of my life! My Insurance company was on the phone every hour trying to console me and tell me everything was going to be o.k. Then a Doctor arrived to tell me I had to go to the pharmacy to purchase all of the Medicines used for Rhiannon's surgery and gave me a list 3 pages long. I was like a Zombie at this stage and all my friends had to loan me money as there was about 7 million rp in medicines, I just did what I had to do. When I come back from the pharmacy we waited another hour and 2 orderelys came and told us we were going to theatre.