SALT LAKE CITY -- Utah man Bryce Astill was trekking with a group in the Andes when he developed a cough, and went to a doctor in the nearest town.
His cough turned into a pneumonia and edema, and he could only get a quick message to his brother prior to going under.
“[It] read that he needed help, that he was going to be intubated and please call his dad,” said Astill’s friend Jennifer Powers.
Astill’s family and friends tracked down the clinic in Huaraz, Peru where he was being treated and his father and sister arranged to travel to him.
In the meantime, his friend, Jennifer Powers, started raising money for the immense cost of getting Astill transportation to a modern hospital in Lima and the intensive care treatment that hospital would provide.
In four days, the Go Fund Me page Powers set up has brought in over $35,000 from more than 600 donors.
“Sometimes when you have a tragedy like this it makes you reflect on the people you surround yourself with, and Bryce has been a best friend for so many,” Powers said.
To donate to the Go Fund Me page, visit: https://www.gofundme.com/gprafatw
