Canadian woman dies after falling sick during trip to Jamaica where she developed sepsis and pneumonia after being told there was ‘no room’ for her in hometown hospital

A Canadian woman has died after falling sick on her vacation to Jamaica and returning home only to be turned away from two local hospitals. 

Kelly Beckerley-Murphy, 65, traveled to Jamaica for what was supposed to be a weeklong vacation with her best friend.

In an unfortunate twist – just shortly after the pair arrived on Sunday Beckerley began to have difficulty breathing and was rushed by ambulance to a Montego Bay hospital. 

While on the way to the hospital, the 65-year-old suffered from respiratory failure and cardiac arrest, her daughter Shannon Horner said. 

Beckerley was resuscitated but remained unconscious in a hospital bed in Jamaica while she waited to be transported back home to St. Catharines. 

While on the way to the hospital, Beckerley (pictured right) suffered from respiratory failure and cardiac arrest, her daughter Shannon Horner (pictured left) said

During her more than a week-long stint in hospital, Beckerley developed pneumonia, sepsis and a ‘horrific bed sore,’ according to her daughter.

Family of the 65-year-old were told by her insurance provider, CAA Niagara, that there were no beds available in Ontario to accommodate her. 

However, both Niagara Health and the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care said there were beds available in those facilities.

Eventually, a bed was eventually found to accommodate Beckerley-Murphy at St. Catharines hospital, where she was admitted on April 16. 

Beckerley tragically died surrounded by her family late on Thursday night at the local hospital. 

Horner said her mother ‘should have been home eight days sooner.’

‘That’s eight days that our family will never get back,’ she said.

Horner is left wondering if things might have turned out differently had her mother been able to return to Canada sooner. 

‘It’s awful. It’s a freaking tragedy,’ Horner told the St. Catharines Standard. 

Horner had previously created a GoFundMe to help gather support and bring her mother home to Canada while she was stuck in the Jamaican hospital. The GoFundMe raised $2,760 and received 37 donations. 

According to what Horner wrote on the GoFundMe, they managed to send Beckerley’s husband Ted out to Jamaica to ‘be by her side and advocate for her.’

Beckerley tragically died surrounded by her family late on Thursday night at the local hospital

The most recent update shared on the GoFundMe was on April 20. It said, ‘My mom is currently back from Jamaica she is in stable but critical condition. 

‘She is currently on a ventilator and is in a coma. She had a cardiac arrest due to respiratory failure in the ambulance on the way to Jamaica. 

‘They are concerned about cognitive function due to lack of oxygen during this time. My mom hasn’t regained consciousness since.’

Situations like Beckerley’s happen far too frequently, according to Will McAleer, executive director of Travel Health Insurance Association of Canada (THIAC). 

McAleer said that most incidents go unreported when Canadians become sick and get stuck in foreign hospitals with no indication of when they can return home. 

‘We don’t think that’s an equitable level of accessibility that we would expect under universal health care,’ he said. 

St. Catharines member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) Jennie Stevens said she plans to take action after learning of Beckerley’s case. 

‘The end of life is such a crucial part of saying goodbye and healing with your family,’ she said.