A British man who broke his neck after falling from a tree while on holiday in France is facing substantial medical expenses because he did not have travel insurance. Guy Evans, 30, travelled to the Loire Valley with his brother Stan on April 19 to visit their father. The following day, while helping in the garden by collecting broken branches, he overstretched and fell 10 feet onto a stone wall.
Emergency surgery in France
The freelance copywriter was rushed to a local hospital, where doctors discovered he had fractured his C6 vertebra. The next day, he underwent a six-hour reconstructive surgery on the same vertebra. Although he has since returned to the United Kingdom and continues treatment at King's College Hospital in Camberwell, the lack of insurance means he is now burdened with a large French medical bill. His family is still working to raise funds to cover these costs.
Positive news despite severity
Guy stated: "Very luckily, I've not severed the spinal cord, which apparently would be more or less curtains for me, so that's still intact, which is the first bit of positive news." His younger brother Robbie set up a GoFundMe campaign to help pay for his treatment and repatriation. The fundraiser has already collected more than £102,000. Guy added: "I'm a foolish, foolish boy. We started this page, and I think we hit the target within six hours, which is absolutely mind-blowing."
Funds for recovery and beyond
While part of the money covered his repatriation, the remainder is required for his medical costs in France and will also support his "long road to recovery and beyond, including finding him a suitable place to live should he not be able to recover in full," according to the GoFundMe page. It added: "This process is unfortunately an extremely expensive one, and we are now asking for your support as we look to give him the best possible chance of recovery."
Guy, who is currently unable to walk, has regained some movement in his arms and hands. He is undergoing rehabilitation at the South London hospital while awaiting a place in a dedicated rehabilitation centre.
