An Ohio couple went on their first Royal Caribbean cruise together, but an unexpected illness and a series of events left the husband returning home alone.
“I don’t believe she is gone,” said Mohammad Hamza in tears.
On the second day of their cruise to the Bahamas, Hamza said his wife Julia felt nauseous, dizzy and fell to the floor. He said it was her first-ever heart attack.
“The doctor immediately said she’s going to have another episode of cardiac arrest. She needs to be transported now,” said Hamza.
He said that’s when he was asked for $15,000 in cash to help Julia.
“I said, ‘I am here three days. How anybody on this cruise has $15,000 cash?' [Their response was] ‘The jets will only take cash,’” said Hamza.
HOURS WENT BY, MORE HEART ATTACKS HIT
Hamza said it took about two hours before he was able to pay with a credit card — all while time was of the essence to save his wife's life.
“Now, where’s the jet? Coming in a half hour, coming in two hours, coming in three hours. They have some delay,” said Hamza, recounting what he was told.
While waiting for a smaller boat to take her to the jet, Hamza said Julia had a second heart attack.
“She wanted to say something,” said Hamza with tears in his eyes. “I told her to squeeze my hand. She squeezed my hand.”
He said more hours went by before they were finally on board a transport boat. Suddenly, though, a third heart attack ended her life right there on the vessel.
“Until the last minute, I have this feeling she’s coming back,” he said with more tears.
INTERNATIONAL CRUISE VICTIMS GROUP
“I thought, oh, no. Here’s another one,” said Jamie Barnett after hearing Hamza's story. She’s the president of a group called the International Cruise Victims Association.
She explained that all major cruise lines sail under different countries’ flags and American's ways of doing things may not be followed. There are even some laws that don’t apply more than 12 miles from the U.S. shore.
“And that’s one of the first and foremost things that I wish people knew,” said Barnett.
She told us, medically speaking, you’re at the will of those who are taking care of you or a loved one, as she found out personally.
Her daughter needed help on a cruise in 2005. Barnett said medical staff called for a defibrillator, but it took 30 minutes to get there.
She told us she had spoken with a paramedic on the ship.
“He said, ‘You know, Jamie, she was absolutely viable when I got to her, and by the time they did, she wasn’t. She was gone,'” said Barnett.
She said their victims' group has been fighting for years for better medical equipment and procedures on cruise ships.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE A CRUISE
“Typically, that medical center is not run by the cruise ship. It’s run third party, so we’re following their policy,” said Bill Coyle from KHM Travel Group out of Brunswick, who was not involved in Hamza’s vacation.
He said agents will tell you when an injury or medical issue happens on a cruise, and get a copy of the incident report that tells everything that happened.
“Whatever the case is, we need documentation of all that. That’s the first thing that has to be done,” said Coyle.
He said before you travel, make sure you’re healthy enough for the trip, bring any documents about your medications and medical past and be prepared for the unexpected. He also said that serious issues can be pricey and suggested looking into travel insurance.
“Is the emergency evacuation $25,000 or $100,000? Did I buy a policy that’s truly going to cover me?” said Coyle. “And don’t forget that most of our policies are based on age. So, the older we are, the more that coverage costs.”
ROYAL CARIBBEAN: 'WORKED CONTINUOUSLY...'
Royal Caribbean would not go on camera and answer questions but sent the Scripps News Group in Cleveland a statement saying in part the “…medical team responded quickly…worked continuously to stabilize [Julia’s] condition in preparation for her transport… our thoughts continue to be with Mr. Hamza during this difficult time.”
For Hamza, he said the most valuable commodity that day wasn’t money. It was time for his wife.
“Why this woman cannot be transported immediately? There is no helicopter. There is no coast guard, somebody to come save her,” he said.
It was time that ran out, even though Hamza had been holding on to hope.
“The whole time I know she’s going to Florida. I know she’s going to recover and come back home with me,” he said, through more tears.
He said after the investigation team with the Scripps News Group in Cleveland reached out to Royal Caribbean for answers, he finally started getting some information about what happened and medical records — but he’s still exploring his legal options based on his experience.
Here is the statement from a Royal Caribbean group spokesperson:
“The safety and wellbeing of our guests is always a top priority. In Mrs. Hamza's situation, the shipboard medical team responded quickly to her medical needs and worked continuously to stabilize her condition in preparation for her transport to a shoreside hospital. Our thoughts continue to be with Mr. Hamza during this difficult time.”
This story was originally published by Jonathan Walsh with the Scripps News Group in Cleveland.
