Fundraising efforts, while much appreciated by family members, are so far falling short of what鈥檚 needed to get a Nanaimo man out of a Thai hospital and back home.

This past September, 66-year-old Daniel Treacher, who splits his time between Canada and Thailand, fell from a ladder at his wife鈥檚 home and landed on his head, says his daughter, Lisa Robson.

Emergency surgery saved Treacher鈥檚 life, but his recovery has been slow going in a government hospital in Thailand, Robson said. Her father can barely communicate and still can鈥檛 breathe or eat on his own.

Robson said because her dad had pre-existing heart and back conditions, medical insurance was prohibitively expensive. He chose instead to set aside $10,000, which he figured would cover any emergencies.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not like he was completely blinded and not prepared for this 鈥� he was, to the best he thought he could do,鈥� Robson said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think anybody foresees this kind of an accident where you can鈥檛 function, you can鈥檛 answer questions, you can鈥檛 do anything.鈥�

The family wants to get Treacher back to B.C., but it鈥檚 not going to be easy. Robson said a doctor told her that if her dad鈥檚 recovery progresses, he could handle a first-class flight back with a nurse or two by his side.

鈥淏ut he has to be off being tube-fed for that to happen and he鈥檚 not even breathing on his own,鈥� Robson said.

So a is attempting to raise the $75,000 necessary to medevac Treacher home. Robson is worried that the extended hospital stay in a foreign country is scary for her dad and is delaying his recovery.

She said people at the Canadian embassy have tried to be helpful, but there are limitations to what they can do.

鈥淚f the government paid for everybody to get home, nobody would get insurance, we totally understand that鈥︹�� Robson said. 鈥淵ou鈥檝e got to roll with the punches when you鈥檙e in somebody else鈥檚 country which is difficult to do at times.鈥�

She said it鈥檚 unclear what will happen if enough months pass that her father, as a Canadian citizen, would be forced to leave the country, and she hopes the situation won鈥檛 get that far. It鈥檚 hard to ask for help, Robson said, but knows that鈥檚 what it will take.

鈥淓verybody makes mistakes,鈥� she said. 鈥淭rust me, I spent the first little while being very angry at him, wishing he had insurance.鈥�

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