Cannonvale Couple Pleading for Help

What was meant to be a 42-night holiday in Bali has turned into a months-long fight for recovery and a way home for 72-year-old Cannonvale local John Lyle, after a sudden loss of mobility left him unable to walk.  

John and his partner Kate arrived in Bali on April 10th for what was a normal holiday, continuing a tradition of travelling each year.  

‍

While visiting the Gili Islands in May, the holiday took a frightening turn after John suffered a few falls, including stepping down from a high footpath and having the step of a horse-drawn cart break beneath him.

‍

Despite initially being able to continue walking, days later John began experiencing numbness in his legs, with his mobility rapidly deteriorating from needing support to walk, to using a walker and eventually losing the ability to walk altogether.

“Day by day, his mobility, he lost a little bit more,” said Kate Lemke, John’s partner.  

‍

“Then he woke up one morning and the mobility was gone.”

‍

After seeking medical treatment, John was diagnosed with two nerve entrapments affecting his spine. He had to undergo surgery, beginning what has since become a lengthy road to recovery.

Following the surgery, John remained in hospital, but his condition left him completely reliant on others for his care.

‍

His recovery was further complicated when he developed pneumonia and, with his immune system compromised, Kate was advised that a prolonged hospital stay carried further risks.

‍

She eventually moved John into an accessible villa, hiring a pressure mattress, hoist and nursing support to manage his day-to-day needs.

John now undergoes regular physiotherapy and neurological treatment, both at the hospital and from the villa as they work to regain whatever movement may be possible.

‍

‍

‍

The question is, why haven’t John and Kate flown home?  

A major factor has been their travel insurance claim, which Kate said was rejected on the grounds that John’s spinal condition was pre-existing. The insurer pointed to a 2016 MRI that indicated a back issue, along with his history of chiropractic treatment, in making its decision.

‍

Kate disputes the finding, arguing John remained active for years afterwards and was never advised that the results required further investigation.

“How can you say that that’s pre-existing?” Kate said.

‍

“This man worked after that MRI, I had photos and videos of him at the gym.

“If we knew that he had some sort of back injury, we would have got follow-up, but we weren’t even recommended to follow up.”

‍

The rejected claim has left the couple funding John’s treatment and care themselves, while returning to Australia would also come at a significant cost, with an air ambulance quoted at around $150,000.  

A GoFundMe has been established to support John’s ongoing recovery and help the couple eventually return home to Australia.

‍

Kate is also calling on anyone travelling from the Whitsundays or Mackay to Bali to help bring over a lightweight wheelchair for John, with dwindling funds and freight costs that she says could reach 200 per cent of the wheelchair’s value making it difficult to secure a more practical way to get him around.  

‍

To donate, scan the QR code below:

‍

‍