One of the things that make traveling exciting is its unpredictability. You don't really know what's going to happen! You can get stuck in the airport because of delays or flight cancellations. You can get allergic from food. You can lose the key of your accommodation.
For a couple from London, it was something more than these types of unpredictability. They gave birth-and are going to get stuck in New York until March 2015.
Engaged couple Lee Johnston and Katie Amos traveled from Burgh-le-Marsh in Lincolnshire to New York during Boxing Day for a few days of sightseeing. However, she went into premature labor while in Central Park and was brought to Lenox Hill Hospital in the Upper East Side of Manhattan where she delivered her baby, Dax.
Dax was short of a few months and weighed 3 pounds. Thus, he needs to stay for quite some time in the hospital. If that isn't enough bad news, the family was charged with around $200,000 worth of hospital bills, a bulk of which went to specialist treatment of the baby.
Because they were unsure of how they were going to pay for it-the insurance may not even pay for the delivery-a family friend, Richard, decided to set up a Facebook page and a fund-raising campaign for the couple where they received donations from all around the world.
Before New Year, they received another good news: the hospital decided to wipe the bill seemingly after the growing pressure of the public.
In their Facebook page, some have criticized about the accounting of the donations, especially since the huge amount has already been cancelled. The family and their friend Richard have assured those who donated the money is well accounted for. They are planning to donate funds to Ronald McDonald's House of Charity, which supports families with children in hospital by giving them free accommodation. They also need some support in terms of living costs and loss of earnings, among others.