It was supposed to be David Verlander’s first time visiting Canada, and his first time in 10 years seeing family for Christmas.
But Christmas morning, something did not feel right and he was admitted to the ICU at Rockyview Hospital.
“We just know how excited he was and we know how much he was looking forward to it,” said his 26-year-old daughter Olivia from their family home in Blackburn, Lancashire, England.
“We just feel a little bit helpless, just sitting around and waiting for any information.”
David, 59, and his 24-year-old son Max jumped on a WestJet flight from London-Heathrow Airport to Calgary on Dec. 21.
Max says his dad’s health started to deteriorate while on the plane.
“We got on the flight and about six hours into the flight, he deteriorated quite a lot, just started to feel really rough,” said Max.
David was greeted by paramedics at Calgary International Airport who prescribed him antibiotics and medication.
He was then sent to his daughter Hollie’s home in the southwest, where he began feeling a little better, according to his son Max.
But Christmas morning, he was taken to hospital and was found to have a bacterial infection of Group A Streptococcal, which had spread to his lungs.
He also had influenza and pneumonia. Now, he’s on a ventilator in intensive care.
“We realized the severity of it because he was in absolute agony,” said Max.
“He's fully sedated and is on paralytics,” said Hollie.
“So the ventilator is fully breathing for him at this point, while his body can recover with antibiotics, which (are) fighting the different infections both viral and bacterial.”
The Verlanders were contemplating purchasing travel insurance, but didn’t.
The Verlanders say they were told by doctors at Rockyview that because their dad is not a Canadian citizen, it will cost about $10,000 per day he is in the ICU.
“We're not a wealthy family, by any means,” said Olivia.
“The reason he's not been to Canada is because quite simply, he couldn't afford it. We looked into the travel insurance and because he has pre-existing medical conditions, it was just so out of reach. I think obviously, had he known, he would have reconsidered whether it was something that he was able to do or whether he was able to go.”
The family started a crowdfunding campaign to help with health care expenses.
It’s amassed more than 8,200 GBP, the equivalent of C$13,400.
David is a sports fanatic, having season tickets to his local football club the Blackburn Rovers for decades.
He is also a greens keeper at the Blackburn Golf Club.
“The No. 1 thing has always been football, or soccer, for any Canadians,” said Max.
“He’s an absolute die-hard Blackburn Rovers fan, and has had season tickets (since) before I was born, before (Hollie) was born. I have been going to watch Blackburn with him since before I could walk. I used to sit on his knee and watch.”
He was set to take in his first hockey game and enjoy a Canadian winter outdoors before falling ill.
“We were super excited to have him come and see an ice hockey game and watch the Flames,” said Hollie.
“He really wanted to go ice fishing with us and just do all the things that (are) sport-related that you can't do in England. So those things are obviously on pause.”
The family is thankful for the support shown by people in Canada and England.
