Mark Richardson was fighting for his life in a Bali hospital just one month ago. News first broke in late September that the Australian surfer had fallen ill in Indonesia and was in desperate need of an A-negative blood transfusion. Things got really complicated when donations from Australia were denied in Bali, requiring Richardson to be medically evacuated back home, sparking a massive fundraising campaign that raised nearly $50,000 to make it possible.
Richardson looks like a new man now, appearing in a television interview with 7News Australia and sharing his account of the experience publicly.
“I spent about three days, four days in a Bali hotel thinking I might’ve had Bali Belly,” he says of the overseas nightmare. Bali Belly, of course, can be common for travelers to Indonesia, causing everything from stomach cramps to diarrhea, vomiting, and general aches and pains. But Richardson’s illness was far more severe than that. Doctors eventually confirmed he had a parasitic infection that most likely inflamed a large peptic duodenum ulcer and caused it to rupture, which triggered the massive blood loss that became life-threatening.
“I woke up in Darwin ICU after having life-saving surgery on the way (from Bali to Australia),” Richardson says of the medevac. He’s apparently had three surgeries in the month since that life-saving move and credits the support of the surf community for making his recovery a possibility. “I was just blown away. There was some teary moments. It meant so much, I didn’t realize how much support I actually have.”
Although Richardson’s clearly come a long way in a tumultuous month, he still has more recovery ahead as well as potential complications to work through in the future.
“I will have ongoing health issues to deal with from this and am not sure when I will be able to start back with my coaching,” he shared in an update October 9. “The donations will go a long way to helping me get back on my feet and with the ongoing medical costs involved with my rehabilitation. I can’t thank you all enough for your generosity.”
