A New South Wales family is stranded in Tokyo, broke and running out of medicine after their autistic son developed a sudden fear of flying during a holiday, news.com.au reported. Parents Mel and Brad James traveled to Japan earlier this month to celebrate their son Ryan’s 18th birthday at Disneyland, accompanied by his two younger siblings and grandparents.
Disneyland Birthday Trip Turns to Crisis at Tokyo Airport
Ryan, who has autism, Global Development Delay, and Jordan’s Syndrome—a rare genetic neurodevelopmental condition affecting under 500 people globally—experienced an unexpected meltdown at a domestic flight gate after previously traveling to five countries without incident. “We couldn’t get him on the plane, he went into a meltdown – raised voice, very loud, threw himself on the ground,” Ms James told news.com.au. The family separated, sending the grandparents and two younger children ahead to Okinawa with the passports and medication, while Mr and Ms James stayed behind with Ryan.
Airlines and Repatriation Costs Mount for Stranded Parents
All Nippon Airways accommodated the trio on subsequent flights, but Ryan removed his seatbelt and walked back up the ramp before takeoff. The airline subsequently emailed the family requiring a “fit to fly” certificate for commercial travel. After contacting the Australian Embassy and their travel insurance provider, the family hired a private air repatriation company.
“We paid a very large amount of money for that service and then got told a couple of days later that we need to pay even more money for the flight of the doctor to come to us plus Ryan and his business class ticket back to Sydney,” Mr James said. The family is already $50,000 out of pocket for the private assessment.
Medical Evaluation Rules Out Commercial Flight Options
When the private doctor arrived last Friday, Ryan was ultimately deemed unfit to fly because there was no guarantee he would remain seated. “Ryan can’t meet that criteria unless he is absolutely KO’d and for that to happen it’s going to require him to be heavily sedated in a Japanese hospital, intubated, taken on a flight with a doctor that monitors his breathing all the way home to a Sydney hospital where they’ll need to wake him up,” Mr James explained. Compounding the crisis, their travel insurance provider stated the family had not declared Ryan’s specific medical syndromes on their policy.
Medication Supplies Dwindle in Tokyo Hotel Room
With zero certainty on when they can return to Australia, the parents have had to halve Ryan’s dosage of a critical medication to stretch their remaining five-day supply. “The other stuff will run out within a fortnight as well, but that’s the most important part because the medication is what keeps (Ryan) in a relatively normal mindset,” Mr James said. The family has established a GoFundMe campaign to help cover mounting accommodation fees and medical repatriation debt.
Frequently Asked Questions About the James Family’s Tokyo Ordeal
Why did Ryan become unable to board the flight home?
An unexpected trigger caused Ryan to experience a severe meltdown at the domestic airport gate in Tokyo, and subsequent attempts to board later flights failed when he removed his seatbelt and left the aircraft.
What medical conditions does Ryan have?
Ryan is diagnosed with autism, Global Development Delay, and Jordan’s Syndrome, a rare genetic neurodevelopmental condition affecting fewer than 500 people globally.
Why won’t commercial airlines let Ryan fly?
Following the airport incidents, All Nippon Airways informed the family that Ryan requires a “fit to fly” certificate. A private repatriation doctor assessed him and ruled him unfit because he cannot guarantee remaining seated without heavy sedation and medical monitoring.
How can people support the family’s return to Australia?
The family has set up a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for medical repatriation expenses, business-class tickets, and unexpected accommodation debt in Tokyo.
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