Calgary woman recovering from emergency surgery in Japan, needs to pay hospital bill before leaving
Article content
Dione Amundson was on a trip to Japan with her 19-year-old son when she suddenly fell ill and was rushed to the hospital. It was there that she was told she required an emergency surgery.
Article content
Article content
While Amundson was undergoing tests and treatments to prepare for surgery, her son, Peyton, was navigating the mounting hospital bills and a language barrier. Back home in Calgary, Amundson's best friend, Belinda Morrison, started a GoFundMe campaign to help raise the funds needed for the surgery, as well as other medical expenses.
Article content
Article content
Amundson had surgery on July 18, and has since been recovering in the hospital.
Article content
Article content
'She's doing better,' Morrison said. 'She's just, I think, more bored than anything, because there's no one to talk to, and they don't speak her language. She just can't wait to get home.
Article content
'She's sending me more messages and stuff, so I can tell she's getting better,' she said. 'Because before, I never heard a word from her unless I phoned her.'
Article content
In a video update from Aug. 3 on the GoFundMe page, Amundson shared that she had been upgraded to soft food, but still had tubes in her neck and arm providing a nutritional supplement.
Article content
'I just continue to try to get stronger,' she said in the video. 'Thanks, and (I) miss everybody. I want to be back in Calgary very badly.'
Article content
The light at the end of the tunnel is in sight for Amundson, though — she'll be released from the hospital on Aug. 12, and will be allowed to fly home on Aug. 18. Her insurance will cover the cost of the flight home, but reimbursement for the rest of the expenses is still up in the air.
Article content
Article content
'The hospital will not deal with insurance,' Morrison said. 'They have to pay the bill before they go … even if insurance is going to pay or not.
Article content
'Either way, they have to pay the bill, and then they have to figure everything out when they get back.'
Article content
Morrison and Amundson's community has gone above and beyond to offer support. A friend of Morrison's even offered the use of a private medevac jet at the fraction of the cost.
Article content
'He says, 'We'll soak most of it up, but if insurance can pay the rest, or you guys, we'll make it happen,'' Morrison said. However, Amundson's insurance wouldn't sign off on it, and her surgeon wasn't ready to discharge her, despite the jet having an ICU on board.
Article content
The GoFundMe campaign has now raised more than $20,000, but without knowing what Amundson's insurance will cover, it's difficult to know if that will be enough. The surgery alone cost $25,000, with other medical expenses adding to the total. Amundson's son has also had to cover the cost of his hotel stays and food over the past few weeks, dipping into the funds he had saved up for school.
Article content
Morrison said she's regularly on the phone with him, helping him to navigate the situation.
Article content
Teen son trying to navigate insurance and mom's recovery while in a foreign country
Article content
Amudson's son, Peyton, said they had only enjoyed three days in Toyko before his mother was hit with the severe abdominal pain that sent her to the hospital.
Article content
'I was planning on having a fun-filled vacation,' he said. 'I love traveling with my mom, and so I thought this was going to be a great opportunity to just kind of bond some more.'
Article content
He said he didn't feel at all equipped to handle the situation, but he did what he had to do.
Article content
'I was just in a panic and a shock, but I would do anything to help my mom in any way,' he said.
Article content
'My social work background is coming into it — that's what I'm in school for,' he said. 'I'm just like, 'Stay calm, stay collected, do some of the things I've learned in that, and just kind of manage it.'
Article content
Article content
Peyton said he's been leaning on classmates, friends and family for support. He's able to visit the hospital between 3 and 8 p.m. each day, but otherwise, he's more or less on his own.
Article content
'I try to do some things in the day, but my mind doesn't always allow me to do that,' he said.
Article content
'When I'm not at the hospital, there's lots of times I'm bookkeeping receipts, I'm sending things to insurance, I'm calling insurance, I'm calling my bank … to authorize a credit limit increase to somehow pay these hospital bills.'
Article content
'She's getting back to her normal self,' he said. 'It's day by day. Some days are worse than others, but she's definitely on the road to recovery and definitely moving in the right direction. Now it's just that waiting game of when she's medically fit to travel.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Calgary Herald
07-08-2025
- Calgary Herald
Calgary woman recovering from emergency surgery in Japan, needs to pay hospital bill before leaving
A Calgary woman who underwent emergency surgery in Tokyo is on the road to recovery after suffering a perforated intestine while on vacation. Article content Dione Amundson was on a trip to Japan with her 19-year-old son when she suddenly fell ill and was rushed to the hospital. It was there that she was told she required an emergency surgery. Article content Article content While Amundson was undergoing tests and treatments to prepare for surgery, her son, Peyton, was navigating the mounting hospital bills and a language barrier. Back home in Calgary, Amundson's best friend, Belinda Morrison, started a GoFundMe campaign to help raise the funds needed for the surgery, as well as other medical expenses. Article content Article content Amundson had surgery on July 18, and has since been recovering in the hospital. Article content Article content 'She's doing better,' Morrison said. 'She's just, I think, more bored than anything, because there's no one to talk to, and they don't speak her language. She just can't wait to get home. Article content 'She's sending me more messages and stuff, so I can tell she's getting better,' she said. 'Because before, I never heard a word from her unless I phoned her.' Article content In a video update from Aug. 3 on the GoFundMe page, Amundson shared that she had been upgraded to soft food, but still had tubes in her neck and arm providing a nutritional supplement. Article content 'I just continue to try to get stronger,' she said in the video. 'Thanks, and (I) miss everybody. I want to be back in Calgary very badly.' Article content The light at the end of the tunnel is in sight for Amundson, though — she'll be released from the hospital on Aug. 12, and will be allowed to fly home on Aug. 18. Her insurance will cover the cost of the flight home, but reimbursement for the rest of the expenses is still up in the air. Article content Article content 'The hospital will not deal with insurance,' Morrison said. 'They have to pay the bill before they go … even if insurance is going to pay or not. Article content 'Either way, they have to pay the bill, and then they have to figure everything out when they get back.' Article content Morrison and Amundson's community has gone above and beyond to offer support. A friend of Morrison's even offered the use of a private medevac jet at the fraction of the cost. Article content 'He says, 'We'll soak most of it up, but if insurance can pay the rest, or you guys, we'll make it happen,'' Morrison said. However, Amundson's insurance wouldn't sign off on it, and her surgeon wasn't ready to discharge her, despite the jet having an ICU on board. Article content The GoFundMe campaign has now raised more than $20,000, but without knowing what Amundson's insurance will cover, it's difficult to know if that will be enough. The surgery alone cost $25,000, with other medical expenses adding to the total. Amundson's son has also had to cover the cost of his hotel stays and food over the past few weeks, dipping into the funds he had saved up for school. Article content Morrison said she's regularly on the phone with him, helping him to navigate the situation. Article content Teen son trying to navigate insurance and mom's recovery while in a foreign country Article content Amudson's son, Peyton, said they had only enjoyed three days in Toyko before his mother was hit with the severe abdominal pain that sent her to the hospital. Article content 'I was planning on having a fun-filled vacation,' he said. 'I love traveling with my mom, and so I thought this was going to be a great opportunity to just kind of bond some more.' Article content He said he didn't feel at all equipped to handle the situation, but he did what he had to do. Article content 'I was just in a panic and a shock, but I would do anything to help my mom in any way,' he said. Article content 'My social work background is coming into it — that's what I'm in school for,' he said. 'I'm just like, 'Stay calm, stay collected, do some of the things I've learned in that, and just kind of manage it.' Article content Article content Peyton said he's been leaning on classmates, friends and family for support. He's able to visit the hospital between 3 and 8 p.m. each day, but otherwise, he's more or less on his own. Article content 'I try to do some things in the day, but my mind doesn't always allow me to do that,' he said. Article content 'When I'm not at the hospital, there's lots of times I'm bookkeeping receipts, I'm sending things to insurance, I'm calling insurance, I'm calling my bank … to authorize a credit limit increase to somehow pay these hospital bills.' Article content 'She's getting back to her normal self,' he said. 'It's day by day. Some days are worse than others, but she's definitely on the road to recovery and definitely moving in the right direction. Now it's just that waiting game of when she's medically fit to travel.'
Global News
04-08-2025
- Global News
Edmonton's ‘Happy Beer Street' community rallies for one of their own
On Sunday, all 10 craft breweries along Happy Beer Street in Edmonton came together to host a Shann-A-Palooza, selling pints to support a beloved member of its community. The event was named in honour of Shannon Gray, who was diagnosed in May with a rare, aggressive form of Stage 3 breast cancer: triple negative invasive pleomorphic lobular carcinoma. She was diagnosed after feeling pain while out for a run with friends in April. She began treatment a month ago and if all goes well, expects it will continue into late 2026. The plan includes six month of chemotherapy, followed by surgery (a single or double mastectomy, plus lymph node removal.) Recovery from the surgery is expected to take eight to 12 weeks, and after that, Gray is expected to undergo radiation treatments every weekday for five weeks, followed by more chemo and immunotherapy. Story continues below advertisement View image in full screen Shannon Gray at her first chemotherapy session in Edmonton on July 9, 2025. GoFundMe It will be a long road. Already, the chemo is taking a toll on Gray's mind and body. Get weekly health news Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday. Sign up for weekly health newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'I'm immunocompromised now, and I will just continue to be in a worse state,' said Gray, who has worked as the taproom manager for Ale Architect since it opened two years ago. She said brain fog is interefering with doing the job properly. 'It's a rollercoaster. The whoooole range of human emotions, every day.' Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It's a rollercoaster. The whoooole range of human emotions, every day." With her cancer treatments, she says it's becoming harder to work and her oncology team has advised her to stop until after surgery. A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to raise money to support Gray as she undergoes treatments, as she says her private health insurance benefits don't cover long=term disability so she'll have no assistance during her time away to cover the costs of being a single renter. Story continues below advertisement However, her brewing community wanted to do more to raise money for her rent, groceries and prescriptions. 'It was just a no-brainer,' said Ben Rix, the co-owner of Bent Stick Brewing, of the Shann-A-Palooza event. 'It's a special one, but it didn't take much of someone suggesting it and everyone jumping on board.' Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It's a special one, but it didn't take much of someone suggesting it and everyone jumping on board." With more treatments ahead, Gray says she's taking things one day at a time — and grateful for a community that's showing up, pint by pint. 'I feel cherished and cared for and supported, it's really wonderful because at the same time I kind of feel like I'm on an island,' she said. 'Before I thought we were all friends — now I really feel like we're all friends.' Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Before I thought we were all friends — now I really feel like we're all friends." — With files from Karen Bartko, Global News
Vancouver Sun
23-07-2025
- Vancouver Sun
Letters to The Vancouver Sun: Shame on government for denying Charleigh Pollock's treatment
Re: NDP relegates Charleigh Pollock to the mercies of GoFundMe Re: B.C. NDP admits Charleigh Pollock is the only kid in Canada to be denied funding for rare disease Despite heartfelt, urgent and repeated pleas by Jori Fales, Charleigh's mother, to resume the treatment that had enhanced her daughter's quality of life from the devastating consequences of Batten disease, it was two recent columns by Vaughn Palmer that likely provided the impetus for the B.C. government to finally come to its senses and reinstate treatment with the quality-of-life-prolonging drug Brineura. Shame on Health Minister Josie Osborne and Premier David Eby for failing to listen to a mother's caring and articulate pleas to enhance the quality of life (and perhaps prolong the length of her remaining months) for her precious 10-year-old daughter. A daily roundup of Opinion pieces from the Sun and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Informed Opinion will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. As a longtime NDP voter, I will rethink that decision when I next head to the polls. Susan R. Harris, Vancouver In July, Health Minister Josie Osborne proudly announced that nearly 800 U.S. health-care professionals had expressed interest in relocating to B.C. as part of the province's recruitment strategy. While many Canadians weary of MAGA politics might quietly enjoy this reversal of brain drain, we should ask ourselves: Is this sustainable? Recruiting foreign-trained pros may provide temporary relief to B.C.'s overburdened health-care system, but it's no substitute for a serious, long-term plan. For decades, successive governments — this one included — have failed to train enough physicians, nurses, medical imaging specialists and other vital health-care workers to meet the needs of our growing and aging population. It takes years to educate and train a competent health-care professional. Yet we continue to rely on stopgap measures, avoiding the hard but necessary work of expanding our own capacity. A better announcement would have been the creation of 800 new training seats across B.C.'s universities and colleges — not simply the successful 'poaching' of talent from other jurisdictions. The planned medical school at Simon Fraser University is a welcome step but falls well short of what is required. We need to significantly expand not just medical training, but programs in nursing and allied health professions. In many areas, we must double or even triple current capacity to address existing and future shortages. B.C. has long drawn health-care workers from Europe and developing nations — a practice that is ethically questionable and logistically short-sighted. We must stop outsourcing our responsibility to others. As we've learned in other sectors, we need to become self-reliant and plan for the future, not depend on others to do our heavy lifting. Continuing to neglect local training isn't just bad policy, it's also unsustainable. It's time we invest in building a health-care workforce at home. Tom Holland, Surrey Letters to the editor should be sent to sunletters@
