Last December, my husband and I were vacationing in the Bahamas when he became ill. We weren’t overly concerned, assuming at first it was some kind of travel bug that would clear up in a day or so. But it got worse. At the market while I was picking up some ginger ale and crackers, locals told me a nasty variety of the flu was going around. So, I threw a box of Thera-Flu into my shopping cart, hoping it would relieve his symptoms and we’d be able to salvage part of our vacation. When that didn’t provide any relief, we started to worry. He was in serious pain and running a fever. My husband isn’t a man who enthusiastically embraces doctor appointments even for routine care, so I knew something was up when he agreed to go to the local clinic two days before our planned return home. We were vacationing on the island of Eleuthera. Suffice to say, the clinic was not state-of-the-art. Kevin was dehydrated, so the doctor gave him intravenous fluids, a handful of antibiotics and pain medication, told me to go next door to the market and pick up some Gatorade, then sent us on our merry way. When we got back to the house, I called Kevin’s doctor in the U.S. Clearly, he couldn’t make a diagnosis over the phone, but there was a possibility Kevin had picked up a parasite. He advised us to return to the U.S. as soon as possible. I tried but couldn’t change our flights for an earlier departure, so we waited. I had previously been a Medjet Assist member, but I had let my membership lapse. Although it wouldn’t help us in our immediate situation, I logged on and re-upped. The day of our return flights — a short hop from Eleuthera to Nassau followed by a long layover and a direct flight to Boston — Kevin was in serious pain, even accepting the offer of wheelchair transport. As soon as we landed in Boston, I called Kevin’s doctor to tell him we were home and advise him that we planned to make a stop at a hospital emergency room — just as a precaution. We still figured he had picked up a parasite; he’d get the proper medication and we’d continue home. The joke was on us. Kevin had a perforated intestine. The surgeon, one of the top gastrointestinal specialists in Boston who just happened to be on call that night, advised us of the life-threatening nature of Kevin’s condition. The next thing we knew, Kevin was undergoing emergency surgery. He was in the hospital for 12 days. Kevin is well on the road to recovery now, but I can’t stop thinking about the “what ifs.” What if our flight had been delayed? What if we hadn’t stopped at the emergency room? What if? Kevin’s sudden illness wasn’t just a wake-up call for us. It opened the eyes of associates far and wide, who, like us, take travel and good health for granted. GT publisher/CEO Fran Gallagher immediately secured Medjet Assist memberships for staff members who travel frequently. I had let my membership lapse because, heck, I never used it. I won’t make that mistake again. Coverage is inexpensive and gives me peace of mind knowing that if we ever face another health scare while traveling, I have a back-up plan. — Lisa Matte, editor in chief