Albuquerque man stuck at Mexico hospital until family pays his bill

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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – An Albuquerque family is desperate to bring their brother home after he got sick on their family vacation—but that can’t happen until they pay thousands of dollars to the hospital.

“It went from the best vacation to the worst time we’ve had. My brother, it would destroy our family if anything happened to him,” Aracely Vizcaino says.

Barber Adrian Vizcaino says his family spent five days at a resort in Cancun. Saturday, they had to return to home without his older brother, Heber.

Near the end of the trip the father of three got so sick, he was unable to fly. “He was losing his strength, he started getting really pale. Apparently, his blood pressure went down and he was throwing up a lot,” Adrian Vizcaino says.

He was rushed to a hospital in Mexico City where he remains in critical condition. “They still don’t have the proper tools and the proper help that he needs, so in order for him to get a fighting chance we need to get him back here in the U.S.,” Adrian Vizcaino says.

But first they must pay the massive hospital bill. “The longer he’s there the more we’ll have to pay,” Adrian Vizcaino says.

The air ambulance to bring him home is another $15,000. The family has started a GoFundMe page for donations. Vizcaino is cutting hair nonstop to raise as much money as possible.

“There is no such thing as, ‘Here’s a bill and you pay it later.’ You have to pay upfront for every service that you’re getting,” Adrian Vizcaino says.

A Maine woman found herself in the same situation when she was hospitalized after an ATV accident in Greece. Her family has to come up with more than $80,000 to bring her home.

Heber’s family says they know there’s a risk anytime you go to another country. While it’s a hard lesson, “This is not going to be the end of our family vacations,” Adrian Vizcaino says.

Cases like this happen more often than you’d think. An Associated Press investigation last year found more than 30 countries have this practice.

To donate to family’s GoFundMe, click here. For information about haircuts, car washes, and other fundraisers call (505)-910-0749.

Source: krqe

The Mazatlan Post

www.novamarinsurance.com.mx