Family of man lost overboard reveal his life’s “devastating turn”
The family of Warwick Tollemache, the Australian man who fell overboard from the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Quantum of the Seas, have made devastating claims against the Queensland health system.
Warwick was 35-years-old when he was lost at sea off of the Hawaiian coast, and his loved ones have now revealed that he was struggling for years prior, after his life “took a devastating turn” with “severe, chronic, and debilitating migraines”.
His heartbroken family members informed Daily Mail Australia that he was a “playful, cheeky, good-humoured, and extremely kind-hearted person”, who was never without a “radiant smile”.
“He had an incredible gift for spreading kindness, love, and compassion wherever he went,” they said. “He touched the lives of countless people with his generosity and deep empathy.”
They went on to note how academically brilliant Warwick was, having earned two university degrees - one in business and one in Exercise Science. He’d had dreams of becoming a physiotherapist or a doctor, and was studying towards that very goal when “his life took a devastating turn, [with Warwick] developing severe, chronic, and debilitating migraines that affected him daily.”
“Warwick sought help from both public and private healthcare systems but was repeatedly turned away and refused treatment or dignity,” they explained. “This lack of care led to self-medication with alcohol at times and eventually to mental illness.”
They noted that Warwick had been forced to wait over 12 hours for help on multiple occasions, “only to never be seen by a doctor.”
And on the rare instances where he was seen by a medical professional, “he was turned away” despite the pleas of both Warwick and his family.
As his loved ones put it, “Warwick, who found joy and purpose in helping others, was treated with a complete lack of humanity, respect, care, and compassion. This culture of neglect and disregard for patients' dignity within Metro South Health is dehumanising, and it is shameful that Warwick was a victim of such systemic failure.”
According to them, Warwick maintained a positive, strong, and brave persona throughout his entire recovery process, all despite the many challenges placed in front of him, and was “always making himself available to anyone in need.”
They added that they had done everything they could to support him, pouring their time and efforts into “providing an inpatient level of care at home, which should have been provided by the public and private hospitals that failed him.”
They concluded their statement by stating that they were seeking answers from the medical establishments that they claimed had let Warwick down.
And in a statement from a Metro South Health spokesperson, they were offering their condolences to the family, but that “mental health conditions are complex and crises can stem from a number of triggers”.
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