Joe and Betty Ryals – Orange Park, Florida
Joe and Betty Ryals, from Orange Park, Florida, were in Buffalo, Wyoming en route to Gillette, Wyoming to attend the 2012 Holiday Rambler International Rally when Joe got sick and was in a lot of pain. They took him to the emergency room and found out he had a twisted colon and the attending doctor said it was critical that he have emergency surgery right away. Joe was immediately transported 140 miles by ground ambulance to Casper Wyoming Medical Center where the surgeon was already waiting for his arrival.
The very next morning Betty called SkyMed and explained the situation and that she was also concerned about getting their motorhome from Buffalo Wyoming back to Orange Park, Florida. Betty said, “The Holiday Rambler Military Retirees chapter president knew what was going on and alerted the chaplain and the others at the rally about Joe’s condition and told me everyone there was asking about us and praying for Joe. SkyMed Representative Michelle Ozan who was attending the rally called and reminded me that I could have a family member flown in to be with us. That was so reassuring because I needed my son, Joe, Jr., to come and be with me and to help assist us on the flight home. The arrangements were made and SkyMed flew Joe, Jr. in from Jacksonville, Florida to Casper Wyoming which was such a blessing.”
Betty also said, “SkyMed arranged to fly us first class on our flight from Salt Lake City to Atlanta, Georgia. This worked out so well because it was a longer flight and the seats reclined like a bed, allowing Joe to rest comfortably. An additional benefit was having access to a wheelchair between flights at every terminal. Three days after we got home, our motorhome and tow vehicle were returned safely from Buffalo, Wyoming by a professional driver. By the way, Joe is doing great and feeling much better now and, thanks to SkyMed, our adventure has had a happy ending!
How did you find out about SkyMed and why did you choose SkyMed? Betty said, “We listened to a SkyMed presentation at a Holiday Rambler rally in 2008. We thought about it and decided to sign up before we left, mainly because I can’t drive the motorhome.”
What would you tell your friends about your experience with SkyMed? Betty said, “Until you actually experience a difficult situation, you cannot appreciate everything SkyMed can do for you and how well they will treat you. They sure put my mind at ease handling everything and after we got home Nan called a couple of times to check on us. I would never be without SkyMed!”
Joe said, “I would still have SkyMed even if I didn’t own a motorhome and on a scale of 1 to 10, SkyMed is a 10!”
Betty and Joe are members of Holiday Rambler and FMCA and have been SkyMed members since 2008.
