Diana James died at 3:16am April 11th, 2024 holding the hands of her children Megan and Matthew. Her love will be with us forever. Our fight in her honor to fix the flawed systems that led to her death continues!
The Heartbreak of Getting Home: Our Family Story
Latest Post: Penguino | posted on November 17, 2023 by Miesha
This is Penguino. He’s become an important member of the Oxley family residence over these last few months. This soft, adorable little penguin is magically able to bring us close when the distance is obvious and inescapable. I love this little guy.
When the girls and I were in Portugal, we spent our days mostly playing pretend that we lived there more than the usual touristy types of things. I was making dinner most nights and helping to keep everyone’s clothes clean and folded which meant that errands needed ran and chores needed done. I was hoping to bring some feel of normalacy, familiar structure and familiar food to Megan and Matt while they were spending their days taking care of their mom at the hospital.
There were a few times though that we would take a special outing to explore a bit. In our last days with Matt before our flight home we went to an aquarium in Porto. Honestly the thing I remember most about the aquarium is when I very publicly slammed my face into one of those peekaboo wall windows and smashed my nose with full force. I thought it was concave, I was wrong. I was in so much pain but also a fit of laughter. Aside from that… the aquarium is where we got Penguino.
Connect Health Network Backing Us Up as Our Case Managers.
From the family’s perspective, the Connect Healthcare Network team has been an unwavering source of support and expertise since August of this year. They have not only provided invaluable assistance and care but have also become dedicated advocates for us in our interactions with insurance companies, Medicare, and various other professional matters. With their guidance, we’ve felt a tremendous sense of relief and assurance during this challenging time. Their commitment to our cause and their profound impact in helping us navigate these complex healthcare challenges has been nothing short of exceptional. We are grateful to have them as partners in our journey to bring Diana James home.
It is reassuring to know that they are not only a provider for esteemed organizations such as the Department of Labor, DOD, and the United Nations but also our trusted allies in our efforts to bring Diana James home. With their extensive experience and commitment to our family, we feel empowered and confident as we navigate the intricate web of healthcare and medical repatriation. Their support has made an immeasurable difference during this challenging journey.
Navigating Humana’s medicare advantage prior-authorization appeals process, the State Department, and Medical Repatriation is a daunting task without knowledgeable help. If you find yourself in this situation find case managers to support you and your family, or a lawyer specialized in medicare advantage appeals!
NEVER TRUST HUMANA or their assigned nurse case managers!
Diana Remains in a Coma in Portugal, Here is her Story!
May 16, 2023 | Diana James (72 years old), from Vancouver, WA, suffered a subdural hematoma after a long flight from Portland, Oregon to Vila Nova de Cerveira, Portugal. It was her once-in-a-lifetime trip. After being abandoned by disability services at the airport she struggled physically to make her connecting flight, with no help. Shortly after her landing she complained of a headache, and collapsed the next day with a subdural hematoma. She is currently in a coma in the public hospital in Braga, Portugal. Her children, Megan Kunze and Matthew Oxley, immediately traveled to Portugal to be by her side and facilitate her care. Her children are seeking help to bring her home via air medical repatriation, as well as possibly cover her hospital expenses in Portugal. The family is struggling to get Humana to approve their pre-authorization after 3 denials, and 1 from Maximus, which is unsurprising, that’s what gets them paid. We are working on our 1st actually objective appeal, an Administrative Law Judge Hearing. Please share this story and donate if you can. Thank you!
Further Elements of Diana’s Story
- Read a more complete story in the first Update!
- Follow her progress via the Updates archive!
- About Diana James
- What we have learned about International Air Ambulances
- Our Experience without Travel Insurance, and what we have learned
- Our Experience with Airport Disability Services, and What We Have Learned
- Issues Defining a Medical/Legal Decision-Maker when no Living Will or Medical Power of Attorney Exists
- Follow Us on Facebook
Resources for Travelers with Disabilities
As well as fundraising to bring Diana James home, we are also interested in sharing our experience to help others going through similar issues. Travelling with disabilities can be fraught with challenges. When dealing with airlines statistics can be hard to come by. There are many anecdotal stories out there, and the web can contain so much misinformation. Let’s share any useful information we can to facilitate safe travel for our loved ones. By doing the research to try and vet the best information and collaborating with the experience of others we hope to help our community. Under the resources drop-down menu we will share what we have learned. Please comment or contact us to share what you have learned.
The only 2 special providers that cover medical repatriation are (Click For More Info):
How to Help Bring Diana James Home!
We are hoping you are moved enough by our story to lend your heart in whatever manner you can. Here are six ways you can help us, and we are not picky: 6 Ways to Help!
The GoFundMe Campaign is our primary fundraiser.
The Give-A-Hand campaign is to help support Diana and Matt in Portugal as well as medical costs.
In the chance that the campaign goal is exceeded, the remaining funds will be used for Diana’s care once she is back home. If you are interested in other alternatives to help, please contact Megan Kunze for more information.
Donations can also be made at any Columbia Credit Union either by mailing a check or going into a local branch and earmarking it for Bring Diana James Home. (Mail checks to Columbia Credit Union c/o Bring Diana James Home, PO Box 324, Vancouver, WA 98666)
Hang a Flyer to Help Spread the Word!
We have made an 8 1/2 x 11″ flyer with tabs people can take to connect them with the GoFundMe campaign. We have been hanging them around community centers, offices, banks, markets, parks, and churches. If you can think of a spot that you could hang one please do. The PDF’s below can be downloaded and printed out, then the tabs can be cut with scissors along the guidelines. One of them is a full bleed so it can be printed on professional printers, the other is for use on any general printer.
Printable Files
Do You Have A Stranded Loved One!
We are trying to ascertain how many Americans are stranded abroad due to the high cost of international air ambulance repatriation. If you are willing to share your story please email the webmaster with what details you can, including:
- Who is stranded?
- What happened?
- Where are they stranded?
- How long have they been stranded?
- How much it may cost to bring them home?
- Any links to fundraising campaigns and/or social media related to the situation.
One of our goals is to facilitate a national news story focusing on the scope of the issue and the challenges faced by families with loved ones trapped abroad. However, finding any statistics on how many Americans are stranded abroad, due to medical issues, is not forthcoming. Let’s join forces.
Have you used an International Air Amublance?
If you have had experience with international Air Ambulances to the United States from abroad please share them with the webmaster or comment on the post about our experiences with Air Ambulances. In particular, we are hoping to learn as much as we can about peoples real world experiences with these companies, and to add any companies to the list we may have missed.
Experiences, good or bad, please share your story. The web is filled with suspect reviews, where nearly all are 5 star, or if they have a low rating its because they never got a call back. Finding true 3rd party evaluations of these companies, and their outcomes, both in terms of the repatriation, and the financial fallout would be fantastic.
Press Resources
For any Press Inquiries, or Press Releases please email Diana’s daughter, Megan Kunze.
Photos of Diana James that may be used by the media, all jpegs, no EXIF Data, Webready dimensions up to 1920px, Full Res dimensions up to 4K.
We are hoping to share Diana’s story with audiences interested in Healthcare, Medicare Advantage Issues (i.e Humana), Medical Repatriation, Insurance Prior-Authorization Denials, TBI’s, Travel, Travel Insurance Issues, Disability Travel, Navigating the State Department, as well as Local and Federal Government Offices, and Raising Awareness regarding Disorders of Consciousness, Caregivers, and the Challenges Families Face Under these Conditions.
About Diana James
Diana James is the oldest of 7 children. Because she was born the oldest of a large family, both of her parents worked and she became their caretaker. She has told her children many stories of how she was a child parent taking care of all of her brothers and sisters, the two youngest were twins, and born with disabilities.