An Australian mum left with life-threatening injuries after an accidental fall in Thailand has finally been flown back home for treatment, as loved ones warn she still has “a long way” to go in her recovery.
Kylee Enright, 48, was on holiday with her husband Paul in the town of Khao Lak when a horrible fall on May 28 left her instantly unconscious and “bleeding from the head and ears.”
The mum from Singleton, NSW, stepped off a wooden deck and fell about a metre to the ground below. Her husband believes she was expecting there to be steps but “dropped into nothingness”.
The seemingly innocuous misstep resulted in a devastating head injury and emergency brain surgery to remove part of her skull.
The couple’s travel insurance refused to cover her medical bills because alcohol was involved in the accident — a clause outlined in most policies — meaning they were faced with a massive bill of more than $200,000.
For several weeks she has been in an induced coma in Thailand with her heartbroken husband and three children by her side, as they grappled with the confronting medical and financial reality of the situation and tried to bring her back to Australia.
NSW mum flown home after $217,000 raised
Thanks to people raising more than $217,000 through an urgent GoFundMe appeal, Ms Enright was placed on a Medevac flight and arrived back in Australia just before midnight on Saturday. She is currently receiving care at the John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle.
“She’s got no skull on one side of her head, so one small movement the wrong way and we could be right back where we started the first time,” her husband told 7News over the weeken.
“You can see the pain in her eyes, you can see the frustration. She wants you to help her and, for her own safety, I can’t.”
Kylee Enwright is ‘improving’, husband says
On Monday morning, the devastated husband posted an update to the online fundraiser as well as Facebook, sharing the latest with donors who helped get his wife back on home soil, revealing that she is thankfully showing improvement from the treatment.
“Yesterday her sedation was reduced and her breathing tube was removed,” he said.
“She has become less agitated and is starting to improve to the extent of her trying to use her toes to undo the knots of her feet restraints, which shows thought process and problem solving skills which is a terrific sign.”
“We still have a long way to go one day at a time and don’t know just how much recovery can be achieved in the next 12 months but thanks to you all this process has been able to happen much quicker than it would have if I was left to do this on my own.”
Do you have a story tip? Email: [email protected].
You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play.