Thanks so much for the quick reply and I hope that your mother is doing much better. You should start a new thread so that it'll take less time to scroll down since this one has gotten VERY long. Then those of us who have read all of the comments on this thread could just jump over to the new thread and pick up this saga from there. Thanks again for the quick reply. Happy Travels!

Glad to hear that your situation turned out for the best.

I can't stress how important it is to check your own medical policy, rather than relying on advice on a forum such as this.

Most people don't understand that an insurance company, or an HMO, offers multiple policies to different groups, so what may be covered by one policy from company A may not be covered by another policy from company A.

I had an experience with my father getting very ill in Europe. He had Travel Insured for his travel insurance and they were fabulous. Result is that I buy them for every trip although fortunately I have not had a claim.

wj1, wishing your mother a speedy and full recovery.

Rex, the action and information you promptly provided makes me hope I have someone like you around if I ever have a travel medical emergency.

Deborah

wj1, even though I am still a newcomer to this discussion group, I have been following the posts about your mother, and I am certainly very glad to hear she is home and doing so well. Tell her a lot of people here have been cheering for her.

I am so glad things turned out well. Thanks for letting us know.

......

I love stories with happy endings, especially true ones! WJ1, Thanks for sharing...

As for travel insurance, I've never spent the money for it, but may rethink this the next time I take a big trip.. It may just be the best money I ever 'wasted'.

Glad to hear from you on another post tonight, wj1 (now closed, so I can't post to you further on that)...

I suspect that others will be interested in knowing about your mother's further recovery (I hope that it has gone well; always awkward to ask a question like this). Any repeat travels planned for again in the future?

If you prefer, feel free to write to me directly (I don't believe that I have ever had your e-mail address).

I'm at home sick today and decided to take a look at this old thread. It still makes me teary eyed and I thought I'd give an update in case anyone is still interested.

Mom is doing fine and had a quick recovery from her French hip replacement. In fact, her recovery from this hip replacement was far better and quicker than her prior one in the US. The total cost of her medical care (inlcuding 12 nights in the hospital, surgery, anesthesia, radiology, occupational therapy, etc.) was about $9,000. She paid by credit card and was quickly reimbursed by Kaiser. It undoubtedly cost Kaiser less than if the surgery had been performed at one of their own hospitals. It really makes you realize how broken our system is and how difficult it would be to fix it.

Mom's health is still good (knock on wood) and it didn't take her long to want to travel again. She went to the Czech Republic, Austria and Hungary last summer and will be going on a cruise in the Spring to Barcelona, Marseille, and Monte Carlo and a few other places I can't remember. She would do more traveling except that we (her included) established a rule that she can't go out of the country on her own and it's sometimes difficult to find friends to go with her. But she's in agreement as she doesn't want to repeat her experience in France. I worry about her and would love for her to remain at home but she needs to live her life as she sees fit. She and I will be taking a trip to Savannah and Charleston in March.

I often reflect on this whole incident. It was certainly a horribly stressful time that I wouldn't want to repeat but I think it does fall into the "you will be made stronger" category. It also allowed me to experience France off the beaten tourist track which I appreciate. And most of all, I will always appreciate the kindness that I found here on Fodors. And Rex will always be my hero.

wj1, thanks for this update, and HOORAY for your mom for still traveling!! She's one heck of a lady. :-D

What a surprise! Thanks for the update. When I think about what is good about this board, it's experiences like this. I've wondered a time or two how things turned out. Thanks for letting us know.

wj1...I just found this post today, no doubt because of your update. Isn't it funny how each of our lives affects another, and often unknown to us?

My daughter and I will be traveling to Italy in the fall. This is why I was out here today. I NEVER thought about having an accident or falling ill while there. BECAUSE of this post, I now will "protect" my daughter and I on our travels. Additionally, I will keep this website in mind should we run into any problems while actually in Italy (medical or travel or otherwise!). (I've emailed Rex that I'm keeping his email address handy, too!)hahaha

SO, wj1, YOUR problem with your mom turned into MY silver lining! So, thank YOU too!!!

Glad to hear you are all well. I applaud you for not interfering with your mom's travel plans. My aunt traveled until just a couple weeks before she passed from emphysema. It was her life and I'm glad she was able to enjoy it, as best she could, through the travel she loved so much.

Best to you! Happy New Year~!

Thanks for the nice update, wj1.

what an amazing thread.

Thanks for the update wj1 and wishing you and Mom and your whole family a happy, HEALTHY and prosperous New Year.

Wonderful news. I have also wondered what happened. More years of travel for you both!

wj1: When I saw the thread's title I wondered why the heck was this "old thing" was being topped?? (figured it is one of the new "advertisers" flaunting some hotel site :) )

And then I see your wonderful update about your Mom. I remember when you were going through this ordeal and all the help you got from the Fodors community. How neat she is doing so well. Thanks for letting us know . . . .

Thanx for the update, wj

((I))