A Busselton grandmother is fighting for her life in a Bali hospital after a horror fall left her with six severe fractures that led to a serious adverse reaction to pain medication.
Estelle Ravenscroft, 79, was on holiday in Bali with her husband Keith last weekend when the couple went out for lunch. While in the bathroom, Estelle, who suffers with osteoporosis, slipped and fell into an open stairwell, landing on the steps below.
She suffered six severe fractures across her upper legs - three in her right leg and three in her left. She was rushed by ambulance to hospital, where emergency assessments and X-rays revealed that the breaks were so bad, they required manual realignment.
Estelle then suffered a reaction to the opiod injection she was given to manage her pain.
“Her vital signs plummeted, she began convulsing, and her condition deteriorated so dramatically that her family feared they were about to lose her,” Estelle’s great niece Brieanna Fisher said.
Fisher said that due to the extent of her fractures, the medical team had to manually realign both legs before placing them into traction using weights. Her reaction to the pain medication limited the pain relief she could receive during this period.
Estelle later underwent a gruelling nine-hour emergency operation which left her requiring two blood transfusions due to blood loss.
The 79-year-old has continued to experience serious complications involving her heart, oxygen levels and blood requiring ongoing intensive care, oxygen support and further medical treatment.
“Her family remains deeply concerned about her condition and the uncertainty surrounding her recovery,” Fisher said.
Compounding the family’s stress is the fact that Estelle does not have travel insurance.
“Keith is required to pay the hospital’s medical charges every single day, including when he leaves the hospital,” Fisher said.
“The family is facing mounting costs associated with ambulance transport, medical imaging, intensive care, emergency surgery, blood transfusions and ongoing treatment.”
A GoFundMe campaign has so far raised almost $12,000 of a $62,000 target.
While being discharged from the hospital in Bali is still a long way off, Estelle’s family are already concerned about medically appropriate transport home and then her care once back in Australia.
“She may require specialist hospital treatment and extensive rehabilitation in Perth,” Fisher said.
“This could mean Estelle and Keith are unable to return directly to their Busselton home and may face a prolonged period away from their familiar surroundings, friends and community.”
Estelle’s family is hoping that members of the community will offer support after she spent more than 30 years dedicated to helping and empowering other women following the death of her daughter in 1990.
“Estelle has spent more than 30 years encouraging and empowering women to improve their health, confidence and quality of life,” Fisher said.
“She has dedicated so much of her life to supporting others.
“We are desperately hoping that the people of Busselton, the South West, Western Australia and the wider Australian community might rally around Estelle and Keith during this incredibly difficult time.
“We understand that many Australians are facing financial pressures of their own, and we are grateful for any support, no matter how small.
“Even sharing Estelle’s story could help us reach someone who is able to assist.
“Our family is not simply trying to raise money to pay medical bills. We are trying to ensure Estelle can continue receiving the care she needs, recover from this devastating ordeal and, when medically safe, return to Australia.”
The family’s GoFundMe page is called Estelle needs urgent help for Medical Surgery and Treatment.
With 9 News Perth.