Australian man John Burke is currently recovering in the hospital after doctors performed a “life-saving” surgery.
Burke captured attention on social media when photos circulated yesterday of the man lying helpless in the hospital after being brutally bashed in the head—doctors apparently refused to perform a surgery to relieve pressure on his brain since he didn’t have insurance coverage.
The man, who has lived in Bali the past 10 years and is a retired engineer, was allegedly attacked in his Kerobokan villa.
Brandon Ingram, a friend of Burke, told reporters that this is the second time that the 63-year-old has been attacked in recent days.
The man’s estranged wife Bertha Burke says that her husband had the surgery last night and is in recovery at Denpasar’s Sanglah Hospital. She flew out this morning to be with him.
“I just got news from my priest in Bali and he’s saying they have just finished the operation this morning at 5:15 am. He’s in the ICU now,” she told NT News.
“It’s pretty hard for me and it’s very shocking. I’ve been living there for five years and nothing happened like this before.”
A GoFundMe page has been created to help raise money to cover Burke’s medical costs.
An update on the crowdfunding page says Burke is stable but still at high risk:
