A Massachusetts father’s dream retirement trip has turned into a terrifying fight for his life after a suspected bug bite left him critically ill more than 8,000 miles from home.
Scott “Scooter” Winslow and his wife, Claire, had always dreamed of sailing across the South Pacific with their family. In April, they finally set off on what was supposed to be the adventure of a lifetime, according to an online fundraiser.
But just weeks into the three-month voyage, Scott noticed what appeared to be a bug bite. Soon after, his health began to spiral.
According to WBZ-TV, Scott’s condition worsened for nearly two weeks while he was at sea with his nephew. By the time their boat reached land in Fiji, he was so weak he could no longer walk.
The father of three was rushed to a local hospital, where doctors quickly realized the infection had become life-threatening.
“By the time they got to a doctor, he was so sick,” his daughter, Lisa Babbin, told the outlet.
Scott was later transferred from a private hospital to the ICU at Lautoka Hospital on Viti Levu, Fiji’s main island. There, his wife was reportedly told to “prepare for the worst.”
He remains in critical condition on a ventilator, battling septic shock and organ failure.
According to the GoFundMe page, the infection has spread to his lungs and gallbladder, while his kidneys are functioning at only a fraction of their normal capacity.
His family still does not know exactly what caused the infection. It may have started with the suspected insect bite, an infected wound or something else entirely.
Doctors in Fiji are doing what they can, but Scott’s family says he needs a higher level of care than the local hospital can provide.
“Every hour counts for my father,” Babbin said.
The family has secured a bed for Scott at Newton-Wellesley Hospital in Massachusetts, but getting him home is the difficult part.
“All we need is a medflight, that’s the only thing we need to get him home,” Babbin said. “Medflights are not cheap.”
A medical flight from Fiji to Boston could cost about $250,000, according to the outlet.
On top of the fundraiser, the Winslow family has applied for a U.S. government loan to help cover the enormous cost of bringing Scott home, as well as foreign medical bills that are piling up without medical insurance coverage.
Relatives described Scott as a “hardworking, loyal, generous” man who is “always willing to lend a hand.”
“He has spent a lifetime helping others, supporting his family, and being there whenever someone needed him,” the fundraiser says.
Now, his family is praying he can survive long enough to make it home.
