LONDON, ONT. -- It was March 1 when Roy Jude, 62, went on vacation to South America's ABC Islands in good health, according to his family.
“What ended up happening was he ended up having a ruptured aneurysm and he was found by staff on the day he was supposed to leave,” says Jude's daughter Cara Van Straaten.
“This was a very unexpected death. He was a very healthy man and no previous health problems so it has been super hard and we’ve spent the last two weeks trying to figure out what we can do to possibly get him home,” she adds.
But due to the COVID-19 global pandemic the family has not been able to get his remains home.
Van Straaten says it has cost thousands to keep her father's body at a funeral home on the islands.
He was cremated Wednesday with the help of the Canadian consulate in the ABC Islands.
“The council for the ABC Islands for Canada has been amazing and attended the cremation service for us and blessed him because she knew we couldn’t be there,” says Van Straaten.
She says making matters even more difficult, is calls and emails over the past 15 days to Global Affairs here in Canada have not been returned.
Sarnia-Lambton MP Marilyn Gladu says the federal government is working hard helping families like Jude's.
“It’s a very difficult situation and all we can do is provide families with the assurance that we are working as hard as we can,” says Gladu. “We are working with other counties and we will let them know what the situation is in the other countries and when we can expect that to change.”
In the meantime, Van Straaten says her family is just hoping that they get some guidance soon, so that they can properly grieve.
“We haven’t really been able to mourn our loss because over the last 15 days we’ve just been on the phone trying to get him home."
