A Colorado man became seriously ill while on a cruise with his wife to celebrate their wedding anniversary after contracting a super virus. Guy Matlock, 64, was on a 14-day cruise in Northern Europe with his wife Adrienne, marking their 37th wedding anniversary and their first trip outside the United States. Unfortunately, on the sixth day of the trip, Mr. Matlock began experiencing flu-like symptoms that quickly escalated into more serious illnesses, according to his daughter Moriah, who spoke to KDVR.
“They stopped at the port as soon as possible. … He was diagnosed with influenza A, pneumonia and sepsis, which basically turned into a super virus that started attacking his major organs,” Moriah said.
Mr Matlock soon suffered a cardiac arrest and lung failure, resulting in brain damage. He is currently being treated in a hospital in Copenhagen, where he remains partially conscious and relies on a ventilator to breathe. Although he is stable enough to be flown back to the U.S., he is still not fully conscious, Moriah added.
The family is now fundraising for an expensive medical evacuation to bring him home. The cost of such a medical evacuation can reach up to $150,000. Adrienne, meanwhile, remained in Copenhagen to be by her husband’s side while their children, who had flown to Denmark on emergency passports, have since returned to Colorado.
“It’s very isolating to be in a foreign country where you don’t know the language and there are so many cultural differences,” Moriah told KDVR.
“His brain isn’t getting enough stimulation because he’s hearing the different languages and he’s not able to process them.”
Describing the emotional toll, Moriah said WJTV“No one can express the grief of seeing someone so strong in such a weakened state. A person who has always been your rock is now unable to even breathe on his own.”
The family created a GoFundMe page, which has raised just over $47,840 as of Tuesday.
