Surfing Great Mark Richardson Reflects on Fighting for His Life in Bali (Watch)
Last month, we reported that surf legend and four-time Australian surfing champion Mark Richardson was evacuated from Bali to Australia fighting for his life after being hospitalized for "severe upper gastrointestinal hemorrhaging."
He needed rare A-negative blood donations to replenish his blood and to qualify for the emergency flight since hemoglobin levels of 8 or higher are legally required for medical transport.
Thankfully, Richardson is on the mend and spoke to 7News Australia today, revealing that "an infection and an ulcer in an artery" was what nearly ended his life.
7News Australia posted the clip above today and captioned it:
"He thought it was 'Bali belly', but surfing great Mark Richardson ended up in a fight for his life, in a foreign country, and in desperate need of blood they didn't have."
In the video, Richardson says that before going to the hospital, he spent "three or four days" in a Bali hotel thinking he had "Bali belly," which is a Bali term for an upset stomach or traveler's diarrhea.
But, said reporter Amanda Abate, "It was much worse than that, an infection and an ulcer in an artery was causing significant internal bleeding."
While Richardson was hospitalized, friends created a GoFundMe and the surfing community rallied the blood he needed and cash donations of over $50,000 for the "miracle flight" to Australia.
"It was absolutely amazing," Richardson said.
He added
"I woke up in Darwin ICU after having life-saving surgery on the way."
He's had three more surgeries since.
On the GoFundME page, Richardson said:
"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."
Press play on the video above for the full story.
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