What was supposed to be a week-long celebration of their wedding anniversary turned out to be a nightmare for US man Guy Matlock, 64, and his wife, Adrien. The duo from Colorado had booked a 14-day cruise in northern Europe for celebrating their 37th wedding anniversary. However, on the sixth day of the trip, Matlock began showing signs of being infected by a super virus. He had flu-like symptoms which quickly worsened.
"They pulled into port as soon as possible… He was diagnosed with flu A, pneumonia, and sepsis, which essentially turned into a super virus that started attacking his major organs," Matlock's daughter Moriah told KDVR.
Matlock eventually suffered a cardiac arrest, leading to lung failure and brain damage. He is now on ventilator support at a hospital in Copenhagen. He is partially conscious and is stable enough for a flight back to the US, Moriah said.
"It's very isolating to be in a foreign country where you don't know the language and there are so many cultural differences," Moriah told KDVR, adding that "his brain isn't getting enough stimulation because he hears the different languages and isn't able to process them."
Reflecting on the emotional toll, Moriah told WJTV, "No one can express the sorrow of seeing someone so strong in such a weakened state. A person who has always been your rock is now unable to even breathe on his own."
As of Tuesday, the family's GoFundMe page has raised just over $47,840.