Health Scare on the Island

Our time in Guadeloupe was already difficult because of the challenging situation regarding no water.  We were about to face another hurdle in the form of a health scare. But as always, we learn to be resilient in even challenging situations. I think that’s a part of the human spirit.  

Three days into our stay in Guadeloupe, just as we had our first shower in days, my mum found a lump which gave us all a cancer scare. This was followed by belly pain and my mum and David having to drive around looking for urgent medical care with specialists scans etc. She got partly treated, but we still needed more comprehensive diagnostic care, so we ended up flying back to Miami a week early. The outcome is that she is getting better - there was no cancer. She did need medical intervention and has gallstones, meaning she can’t eat eggs, butter, milk, fat, chocolate etc. anymore, all things she likes. She has had to overnight become a whole food vegan as she was already vegetarian. My brother and I have been very strict with her making sure she is eating healthy and getting used to this.

During this time, my brother and I were mainly at home as plans changed every day, and the water issue was pretty annoying.

All this experience got me thinking; Why is quality healthcare so important?

First let’s define what quality health care is? Well, it’s not an easy one to answer, there are many ways you can define it, but I will go with what the World Health Organization states. They define quality health care as a service that is effective, safe and people centered. But it must also be timely, should not vary in quality, be integrated and efficient.

Quality healthcare is important because it improves patient outcomes, reduces suffering, and increases life expectancy.

One thing that I have not mentioned is the enormous bill we received from the American health care system. I feel like I must talk about this that in my opinion I think a good health care system does not put their patients in a financial hardship for accessing medical care.

I am very grateful to be part of a country that values quality health care. According to CEOWORLD Magazine’s Health Care Index in 2025 Australia ranks third.

I became very aware that we were leaving Guadeloupe to access a level of health-care accessibility that the lovely people of Guadeloupe struggle to receive. Most of them do not have the ability as we did; to just leave and access better help in a different country. What their country provided would be as good as they could get. We had mixed feelings about leaving under these circumstances.

Thank you for reading this blog the next one, will be in my normal positive style, I will write about some fun things we did in Guadeloupe. As we always do try to make the best of any given situation.