Calgary woman stranded in Mexico after husband dies on diving trip

Calgary woman stranded in Mexico after  husband dies on diving  trip

A Calgary woman is  trying to return home after her husband died while diving in Mexico, leaving her stranded and facing financial  hardship.
Glenn Boyd, 56, died Dec. 20 while diving with his wife, Christine, in Playa del Carmen. Christine says Glenn  started struggling when they  surfaced and despite the efforts of  her and a dive instructor, he  couldn't be revived.
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"I could  see he was  having trouble breathing as we were going up, and we couldn't get him out of the water in time,"  said Christine  Boyd. The couple had  traveled to Mexico on  December 15 and  returned on  December 27. Since Glenn's death, Christine has  been fighting with  the Mexican authorities to have Glenn's remains returned to  them with a death  certificate.
It cost  him $6,500 to pay for his ashes and a certificate, which  he has  yet to see. The flight was booked through travel group Expedia, with flights provided by  WestJet.
Boyd says she  reached out to both  of them ahead of her return date, as well as her  husband's lender, but  her death complicated the compensation  process.
Christine's daughter, Meagan Grabst,  started a GoFundMe  campaign (opens in a new tab)  that has raised more than $16,500 to help her mother with unexpected expenses, including hotel stays, transportation, cremation costs,  a possible flight home and  an upcoming memorial service in  Calgary. . .
"It was just one expense after another, and  I was trying to  deal with  everything and get  my mom  home," Grabst  said.
"There was no compassion,  nothing at all. When I called them  to say my  dad had died on a trip he  bought for them, they  didn't care."
Christine says  she's been overwhelmed by the  outpouring of support  she's received from friends and  family.
"I know Glenn was always  there to help others, but  I was surprised by how many  people cared about him," she said.  "I'll be back and  he'll be there."
Christine is urging travel companies to  show more  compassion and understanding in similar situations.
"I would hate to guess what  anyone else is going through and I hope  no one ever has to go through  this," she said.
"Our deepest  condolences go out to the Boyd family  at this time," an Expedia spokesperson  said in a statement. "During our investigation, we contacted  WestJet and their policy states  that lost fares are  only available  directly through the  airline. In most  cases, we follow our partner's policies  regarding these matters,  but given the situation and experience, we will refund  Ms. Boyd's return ticket to help  her through this  time."
Expedia says it is trying to  contact Boyd to confirm this.
As for WestJet, it is helping Boyd  reschedule a  return flight to Calgary at no cost when she is ready to  return.
"Once the  customer receives the death certificate from Mexican  authorities, they will be able to request  a refund under extraordinary circumstances for the original  flights," the  statement said.

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