AIG Travel Antarctica Testimonial [Video]

[LOUIS, AIG TRAVEL CUSTOMER]

We were actually enjoying ourselves by going kayaking, seeing the sights, the ice, the beauty of Antarctica. Unfortunately, about a third of the way into the trip is when my wife had a medical emergency, and that changed everything.

[GINA, AIG TRAVEL MEDICAL ASSISTANCE COORDINATOR]

When we were first notified of the situation, Louis' wife was in the process of being evacuated from Antarctica to Puntas Arenas, Chile.

[LOUIS]

Everybody else is probably out celebrating because it's New Years Eve, and Gina was reaching out to me saying that she's aware of the situation and she will be handling it.

[GINA]

After she was evaluated in Puntas Arenas, we found out that she needed to be evacuated to a higher level of care to receive the care that she needed.

[LOUIS]

To be told that we're not accepting the patient is quite stressful.

[GINA]

Little information was known regarding her condition or the type of treatment that was required.

[KELLY, AIG TRAVEL MEDICAL ASSISTANCE COORDINATOR]

We were notified that she might need an urgent heart valve replacement. We called more than 25 hospitals to try and find her a bed, and we were able to make it happen basically through sheer persistence and just a lot of teamwork.

[LOUIS]

To have to call up, say, a number of hospitals to try to find out where you can go is not an easy task.

[GINA]

This case was a bit unique in regards to the duration of our assistance.

[LOUIS]

They helped out pretty much the entire time which comes out to about a month, just to give you an idea.

[KELLY]

In this case, we dealt with all different layers of complexity, difficulties with admission, needing to work on after-hours, emergency approvals, language barriers.

[GINA]

It was difficult for Louis to understand what was going on.

[LOUIS]

It was a stressful time but what I valued the most was the fact that I didn't have to do anything.

[KELLY]

It was a very special case in that sense that we really all had to team together to make this happen.

[GINA]

We were in contact with Louis every day to make sure that he understood what was going on, that we were able to address questions or concerns that he had, and I think that that helped him with having comfort during a very overwhelming period of time. 

[LOUIS]

They were there 24/7. That would make me feel good or at least relaxed that I knew, my case was being handled.

[KELLY]

So many wonderful tourist places in the world that don't necessarily have the greatest medical care or there are simply language barriers from the care that you are receiving. Our medical team and our coordinators help bridge that gap so that you can make sure you're getting the care you need because getting home was the primary goal.

[LOUIS]

My wife was able to go home and that's where she really felt ecstatic. To use an expression, she was doing back-flips.

[GINA]

I just feel a sense of fulfillment being able to have that, that positive influence on a situation.

[KELLY]

We had a lot of joy in knowing that we were able to get them home safely.

[LOUIS]

I've traveled in the past, out of country, and didn't have any situations whatsoever. This time here, unfortunately, I had a situation. Fortunately I had, I say I was working with a good company. I'm very happy for having the travel insurance and medical insurance.