Terry's Troubles -- La Paz, Bolivia

On and off for several years now, Terry Bingham and Tammy Woodmansee, of Seattle, Washington, have been cruising and exploring the West Coasts of Central and South America aboard their boat, the 'Secret 'o Life', a Union 36 cutter. This summer, they've been visiting Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia, leaving the boat now and then to take excursions inland by bus. They hike, sight-see, and visit with other tourists and locals they meet along the way.

Early on Monday morning, August 18, Terry and Tammy were in La Paz, Bolivia, when Terry started experiencing severe stomach cramps. Terry is normally a hale and robust fellow, and very tough, so they knew something was very wrong. After getting to a doctor, Terry was admitted to the best private hospital in La Paz, Clinica del Sur, where they quickly diagnosed acute pancreatitis and started treatment.

Even so, he continued to worsen until he was taken into surgery on Tuesday night. They found infection and bleeding, and his pancreas was in very bad shape, although they could not track down a cause. He has a blood infection (sepsis) and is struggling to breathe, in part because of the altitude of La Paz (11,000 feet). He was very close to death's door for several days and any setbacks could have been fatal. Luckily, he has Tammy, good doctors, and his strength on his side.

Today, a week later, he is only now being weened off the respirator. In the last couple of days, he has finally regained consciousness and awareness. He still has the blood infection, although his vitals and labs are gradually improving.

Through it all, Tammy has been his rock, juggling all the details of his care in a foreign country with an unfamiliar health care system. This weekend, Terry's (adult) children Hollice, Christen and Brad arrived to help, which was a great boon to both Tammy and Terry.

Terry is doing better, but his recovery is likely to be a long and expenses high. We created this blog to help spread the word and allow people to help if they wish, and to keep people informed as Terry hits the road to recovery.

In a short while, we will add a PayPal 'Donate' button so donations can be made directly to Terry's PayPal account. Please check back for that soon.

Your prayers, good wishes and donations would be greatly appreciated!