Johnston County, NC Family’s Dream Trip Turns Dire: Air Force Veteran Stranded in Hawaii with Serious Lung Infection

JOHNSTON COUNTY, N.C. — A family from Johnston County, North Carolina is urgently trying to return home after their dream vacation to Hawaii in April turned into a medical crisis.

Ellen Ennis Smith, along with her 37-year-old special needs son, Geoffrey, and her husband, known as PJ, an Air Force veteran, traveled to Hawaii on April 9.

“It has always been my dream to come to Hawaii. He surprised me, and he said, ‘Let’s do the trip now. Let’s make memories now.'”

The three of them made memories together as they did a land and sea cruise around the islands. When they got off the cruise, PJ started feeling sick.

Ellen recounted her husband telling her, “‘I feel like I can’t breathe,’ prompting their visit to an urgent care clinic. They called an ambulance, and he has remained hospitalized since April 20th.”

PJ is still in the hospital in Hawaii, and Ellen and Geoffrey are staying in a hotel, as they did not want to leave PJ in Hawaii for the last three months.

“He ended up with a fungal lung infection, which is difficult for someone who’s had a transplant. They can’t fight it with their immunity,” Ellen said.

He was so sick that, at one point, doctors intubated PJ and put him in a medically induced coma.

“There were a lot of conversations, and we were preparing ourselves to say goodbye, and that PJ would pass in Hawaii, but he’s a fighter,” Ellen said.

PJ did fight, and he is now awake, but still in the hospital.

Ellen says she found a hospital back in North Carolina to accept PJ, as the goal is for them to get home.

“It has been a long three months. I need to get back to work and start getting a paycheck again,” she said.

Ellen says she also has to get back for Geoffrey, as he has cerebral palsy and needs to get back to his team.

“My son rides horses with the North Carolina equestrian team. And if he is not back by a certain date, he loses his place on the team. And this is his physical therapy. It’s his emotional therapy, and it’s been very difficult for him here because he doesn’t have a home.”

PJ’s medical team says he is not strong enough to get back to North Carolina on a commercial flight; instead, it must be by medical transport, and the quoted cost is $139,900.

“His private insurance says no, they’re not going to pay. They would take him to the closest hospital, but they felt he was getting adequate care here. So they’re not paying towards transport,” Ellen said.

Ellen filed a claim with the trip insurance she bought, and it was approved, but it’s not enough coverage.

“They’ll do the $50,000, and that is it. So, either, I’ve got to find funding, or I’ve got to get him strong enough in the next couple of weeks to be able to get on that commercial flight. Or I have to leave him in Hawaii, and that hurts my heart. I feel like if I don’t take Geoffrey home, I’m a bad mom. If I don’t stay here, my husband, I’m a bad wife. And I love them both. And I, you know, it’s just a difficult situation.”

Ellen says she had no idea that travel insurance would not be enough coverage to get PJ home.

“We had money in savings, but all of that’s gone now. You just never think you’re being responsible and doing these things, that it won’t step forward and take care of you when it happens,” Ellen said.

Time and options are running out for Ellen, as she’s desperate to find a way to get her husband, PJ, home.

“My plan is to leave around the second week of July. But the way it stands right now, I will be leaving PJ in Hawaii unless I can find a way home. And I don’t want to do that,” she said.

Smith says she has reached out to several charity flight options to see if they can help, but so far no luck. An online fundraiser has been started for the family to try and get them the additional funds needed, as the travel insurance of $50,000 is just not enough to cover the $140,000 medical transport.