If Mexico is not your country of origin, think back to the time you were romancing the idea of moving to Mexico.
Did you replay the different possible scenarios of that life in your head? Did you visualize and ponder on the best-case scenarios and the worst ones? Clearly, these calculated risks were convincing enough if you eventually moved here.
If you were born in Mexico and moved here from a different part, yes, there are many considerations for you to take before making that final call too, yet these considerations tend to vary from those coming from a different country. In either case, if you are not from here your decision process probably included assessing the safety, medical facilities, and cost of living among others. With some of us spending way too much time in our heads revisiting the same scary scenarios over and over and others grabbing their backpack, flying spontaneously, never leaving…
Either way, all gave the idea of moving here a minimum level of thought and consideration before the final jump.
During this process though, have you ever considered a scenario that leaves you on a hospital bed, in a coma?
This escalated to 50 shades of dark really quickly and I apologize for that. However on Friday, September 20, 2024, Shanne S., a 46-year-old Mexican expat from Quebec, Canada found herself in a coma after having an accident falling off her balcony in her apartment.
This could be you, this could be me.
One of her close friends reported: “Yesterday, I arrived very late from the hospital. I’ve been with Shanne since midnight when I got the call around 12:30 or 1 a.m., finding her in a very critical condition. She is intubated, unable to breathe on her own, and has sustained multiple damages, especially to her brain. She cannot breathe by herself. We had to take X-rays, which revealed severe injuries, primarily to her brain, but also to her neck, and hip, and she is suffering from internal bleeding in her pelvis. The doctors told us she was fighting between life and death. We don’t know exactly what happened; we only know it was an accident. What we are asking for now is your prayers and blessings.”
Shanne moved to Mexico about two years ago. She is single. She was home alone. Her parents are no longer alive. She has no siblings. Who is responsible for someone in this situation? What are the legalities? What is the best practice for those wanting to help? How do we access critical information such as her blood type, allergies, emergency contacts, insurance, and financial resources? Who is to report the accident and investigate what actually happened?
While Shanne is fighting for her life, unconscious in a hospital bed, her immediate friends are making executive decisions and answering all of the above.
In Shanne’s case, she is very blessed to have a solid foundation of friends who are tirelessly cooperating to manage this unpredictable crisis. It does put them in a unique situation, having to hire an IT specialist, break into your friend’s place and hack into her devices for crucial information is very delicate, yet necessary.
I invite you to reflect on this.
What if this accident happened to your friend?
What if it happened to you?
Do you have a clear in-case-of-emergency protocol that would be easily implemented?
Based on when this article was written, Shanne was still unconscious in the hospital. She recently started breathing on her own again and her medical team is waiting for her brain swelling to reduce for the next step. In the meantime, her friends are asking for your prayers. To contribute to her GoFundMe account, you can scan the QR code herein. Every amount counts and is appreciated.