Sydney model and beauty entrepreneur Casey James has revealed her father is fighting for his life in a Bangkok hospital after a fall in Thailand left him with a fractured skull and a severe brain bleed.
James, the 28-year-old co-founder of Copini Beauty, shared the news on Instagram, explaining that her father has been in a coma in intensive care for almost two weeks following multiple emergency brain surgeries. He was found alone and unconscious in his hotel room after suffering a seizure caused by the brain bleed, during which he fell and fractured his skull.
"Ten days ago I got a call from the Department of Foreign Affairs saying my dad had been in an accident and is in a coma in the ICU in Bangkok," James wrote. "Within two hours, my husband and I were on a flight to Thailand."
James said her father was not discovered for two days after the fall. "He was found two days later, alone and unconscious in his hotel room," she wrote. "He required emergency brain surgery, and part of his skull had to be removed to relieve the pressure and swelling."
She said he has since needed an endotracheal tube and ventilator to support his breathing, and has developed pneumonia. He also sustained a facial fracture in the fall and remains in critical condition under intensive medical care.
A birthday in the ICU
James wrote that the update came on what would have been her mother's 57th birthday. "It's my mum's 57th birthday today, from heaven, and I'm sitting here in the ICU thinking, what the actual f**k is my life and how did it get to this," she wrote.
She said her mother died of cancer two years ago. "I am so scared by the reality of possibly losing both my parents within two years. My dad is one hell of a fighter, and all we can do is pray," James wrote. "I guess I am writing this to say, hold your loved ones close because life can change in a blink of an eye."
"My dad has been in a coma for ten days and counting. What his future looks like is unknown," she added.
GoFundMe launched to cover costs
On Sunday, James shared a link to a GoFundMe page set up by her cousin, Bridgette Pereira, aiming to raise $250,000 for her father's medical care. The fundraiser had received more than $36,000 in donations as of Sunday evening.
"We have already incurred more than $135,000 in medical expenses, including the cost of multiple emergency brain surgeries and ongoing ICU treatment," James wrote on the GoFundMe page. "The cost of keeping Dad in the ICU is approximately $50,000 per week, and the cost of transporting him safely home to Australia is expected to be around $500,000."
She said those figures do not include the long-term care and rehabilitation he is likely to need once home. "We have been told that, regardless of what the future holds, Dad is likely to require long-term care and ongoing medical support," James wrote. "This is not going to be a short road. There is a long, difficult and uncertain journey ahead of us, involving rehabilitation, specialist care and potentially lifelong support."
James also shared a series of images showing her sitting beside her father, unconscious in hospital and connected to a number of machines.
News comes months after wedding
The news comes just months after James married Sydney socialite Warren Ginsberg. The 36-year-old Ray White Real Estate agent shared images of their lavish seaside wedding on his Instagram page in February.
