Perth retiree Dave Crocos fights for life in American Samoa hospital while awaiting medevac flight to Australia
The devastated family of a Perth man fear a mystery illness he contracted on a dream cruise holiday could kill him before he is flown back to Australia this weekend.
Dave Crocos, 68, celebrated his semi-retirement with his wife Jo on the cruise of a lifetime, traveling from Los Angeles, through Hawaii and the Pacific Ocean to end in Sydney.
They left for the voyage on October 8, but shortly after the ship left Hawaii, Mr. Crocos’ health deteriorated.
He began developing fever and aches and pains and spent a week bedridden in his cabin before cruise doctors decided he needed hospital treatment.
The cruise was rushed to American Samoa, where Mr. Crocos was admitted to the LBJ Tropical Medicine Center on Pago Pago Island on October 25.
The hospital is not equipped to treat the recently retired surveyor and he has not been diagnosed for more than a week as his condition continues to deteriorate.
The family is now in a race against time and describes the situation as ‘dire’.
Perth retiree Dave Crocos (above) battles to survive a mystery illness in American Samoa as he awaits a medical flight to Australia
Mr Crocos (pictured with his wife Jo) left with his family on a cruise from America to Sydney on October 8 before being hospitalized on Pago Pago Island on October 25.
His son Matthew Bierberg fears his father could die by the end of this week if he is not evacuated to Australia.
“Time is against us,” he said 7News.
‘My mother and sister are in the hospital with him and sleep on the floor. We don’t know if he’s going to survive.’
Mr Bierberg said his father is a big believer in insurance and even did a health check before the trip to make sure he was fit and healthy enough to go on the cruise.
A few weeks later, he is dependent on a ventilator to breathe.
The family had managed to arrange a medical flight to New Zealand, but this was canceled at the last minute due to a shortage of hospital beds.
Mr Crocos’ wife (second from left) and daughter (left) spent a week with him in hospital awaiting a medical flight
Their best hope is that Crocos can survive long enough for a planned evacuation flight to Brisbane on Saturday.
‘He’s deteriorating quickly. I don’t think he has days,” Mr. Bierberg said.
In an interview with Nine newsMr Bierberg said his family “fears the worst”.
“(When he first got sick) he started sweating a lot and it kept getting worse and he couldn’t really get out of bed, he was in pain,” he said.
Mr Bierberg explained that Samoan doctors have an idea of what could be wrong with his father, but are unable to officially diagnose or treat it.
“They think it’s gallbladder related, but they don’t have the technology or equipment to properly diagnose it,” he said.
A medevac flight to Brisbane is scheduled for Saturday, but Mr Crocos’ son Matthew Bierberg (above) isn’t sure he’ll survive that long
If the family manages to make it through the ordeal, they hope their travel insurance will cover the costs of the medical episode.
“He (Mr Crocos) wouldn’t drive without insurance, he has always insured against the worst case scenario,” Mr Bierberg said.
Ny Breaking Australia has contacted the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for comment.