Cannonvale Couple Pleading for Help

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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.  

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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.

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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.  

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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“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.”

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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.

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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.  

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To donate, scan the QR code below:

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