A tourist asked ‘what happened to me?’ after waking up in a Bali hospital with life-changing injuries following a motorcycle crash.
Former Aussie Seaworld worker Rebecca Ode, 36, was rushed to Ngoerah General Hospital following the accident at about 1am on Tuesday on a road in Nusa Lembongan.
Ms Ode, from Newcastle, north of Sydney, suffered severe injuries in the crash, including broken bones to her face, head and collarbone, and is now facing losing her right eye.
She underwent a 10-hour surgery on Tuesday night but has since regained consciousness on the Indonesian holiday island.
‘She woke up and said ”What happened to me?”,’ neurosurgeon specialist Professor Tjokorda Gde Bagus Mahadewa told Daily Mail on Friday.
Ms Ode was found on the street after crashing her motorcycle into a parked motorbike, police have since confirmed following a report on the incident.
She initially underwent a CT scan before being referred to a neurosurgeon specialist, plastic surgeon specialist, ophthalmologist, and orthopedic specialist.
‘We conducted several things, such as correction to her head bones. She had also suffered a leak in the brain,’ Professor Mahadewa said.
‘Then we did a correction on her face and nose because it’s all broken. An ophthalmologist was also involved to handle her right eye, while an orthopedic specialist performed surgery to her bones.
‘The ophthalmologist has said that her eye may can not be saved.
‘She is also suffering amnesia. She can’t remember the accident at all.’
Nusa Penida Police Chief, Ida Bagus Putra Sumerta, confirmed Ms Ode had been involved in a motorcycle accident and an investigation will be launched.
The police chief said the road she was travelling on was in good condition.
Ms Ode had been enjoying a break on the small island off Bali’s southeast when she was injured.
Her family earlier said they didn’t know what had happened to her.
‘We have no idea how the injury happened… there was no alcohol… and the extent of her injuries is quite traumatic,’ her brother-in-law Jesse Wilton told news.com.au.
Ms Ode has been left with structural damage to her face that will leave her disfigured for the rest of her life.
‘She will lose one eye if not two, and has titanium plates in collar bones,’ he said.
Mr Wilton said in a GoFundMe organised for Ms Ode that she is a ‘strong and caring, daughter, aunty and friend (who) urgently needs to be medically evacuated home from Bali for ongoing treatment’.
‘Bec needs the best health care possible as soon as possible which means bringing her home,’ Mr Wilton wrote, adding that her hospital bills have already passed $60,000.
Ms Ode’s mother Shari and sister Jordyn are ‘by her side in Bali and while her recovery journey is unknown we know Bec will continue fighting her best fight with her strong will and determination’, he said.
Jordyn wrote on Facebook: ‘It’s a terrifying thought to know that it is all but confirmed she has lost her vision in one eye.
‘The impact completely pushed her eye out of her head, and the damage was so severe they weren’t sure they could save the eye at all.
‘Her nose was split in half, and the cartilage was shattered. They had to rebuild her face, and I am desperate to get her home for professional help.
‘The orthopaedic surgeons repaired her collarbone and shoulder, which were also hit. She now has a metal plate to keep her clavicle together.’
Jordyn said Rebecca went to Bali ‘seeking peace after two extremely painful years following our father’s passing’.
On top of the initial medical bills, the cost of getting Ms Ode back to is expected to be enormous.
Once there is clearance to get her onto a plane, it’s expected a medical flight to Sydney and transfers to Newcastle to be more than $120,000.
‘Once home Bec is likely to have a long journey of rehabilitation. We are estimating it will be close to $250,000 just to get back to ,’ Mr Wilton said.
Ms Ode’s insurance cover is not known but is being investigated.
More than $168,000 has been raised for Ms Ode as of Friday night.