“In February of 2023,” says Diane Hinkle, “we planned a three-week trip to Italy. On our second day there, Richard fell off a step onto his side and broke two vertebra in his back. He did not feel the terrible pain until our third day. On that day, our situation worsened when I also had a fall. I fell backwards and was trapped on an ‘UP’ escalator for two minutes. There was no shut off to be found and Richard had to help me, and he then began to feel the excruciating pain of his injury. I was taken to the International Health Care Emergency Room for treatment, and they said I had no breaks. After hours of begging, they cleaned my leg wounds and gave me pain medicine.”
“We didn’t know it yet”, reports Richard, “but, Diane had two broken ribs, a dislocated hip, a fractured vertebra, and four deep trauma wounds in her legs. Staying in Italy now was out of the question as both of us were hurting. We had to stay four additional nights in a local hotel because we couldn’t travel under these circumstances. We called SkyMed to get help with our flights back to the US, however, a Fit-to-fly form was necessary. We could not get help with this from local clinics without being readmitted for treatment.” Diane said, “We were in so much pain, we just wanted to return home to our own doctors for treatment. I got on the phone and booked us flights home for $5,300, hoping SkyMed would reimburse us. And they did! Not only did SkyMed reimburse us for the $5,300 in flight costs, but they also took care of the transportation fees to and from the hospital and the airport.”
Not only did the Hinkle’s have a trying trip to Italy, more grief and hardship was to follow. Five months later in July, they received the call all parents’ dread. Their son had been killed. They would now be driving to Ohio for their son’s funeral. While there, Diane fell over a threshold into a door handle and severely shattered her humerus. This injury was debilitating, and she could not get up on her own, or even get out of a car. Richard said, “I couldn’t help because I still suffered back pain from my earlier injury in Italy. So SkyMed was called for help. SkyMed made arrangements for a commercial medial escort flight. Diane flew home first-class with a medical escort to attend to her every step of the way. And they didn’t forget about me, SkyMed paid all the expenses for me and our dog to drive home.”
How did you find out about SkyMed and why did you choose SkyMed? “We once had a service like SkyMed but they were very unprofessional and cost us a lot of money and heartache. We have been members of SkyMed now for years.”
What would you tell your friends about your experience with SkyMed? “We are proud to share our experiences. SkyMed was right there for us when we really needed them, and they were very professional in every aspect just like they promised.”
Do you have any tips to share on ‘how to’ survive a life challenge? “Pray for a lot for wisdom! It is peace of mind to know you have a back-up service in a time of need, and one you can fully trust!”
Richard and Diane Hinkle, SkyMed Champions
