Scott, I held my breath through this — the van, the riad, the gray medina, and then that pale railroad track down your abdomen. The way you braid the abscess with all the sealed-off parts of a life (the job, the grief, the distance with people) is devastating and so true; sometimes the “afterthought” is what finally forces everything into the light.
I love how much care and gratitude you give the nurses and the Swedish system, and how you let this be both a near-miss and a beginning. Grateful you’re still here to tell it — and to keep building that more alive life, one reader at a time.
You did that beautifully, Scott. The way you centered your wife and the medical team gave the whole piece its heart. I’m glad you came through it — and grateful you shared the story. – Kelly
This was so intense, even just to read. I knew from the start what was wrong. Not because I'm a doctor, but because I had appendicitis on the way home from a holiday in France when I was 10. I recognised the feeling of malaise as well as the sickness. I was much luckier than you because a policeman at a service station my mum asked for a doctor sent us straight to the hospital. They operated immediately. What a scary ordeal you had. Bless you.
Thank you, Lisa. Appendicitis hits with such a strange feeling, and having it on the way home from a holiday at ten must’ve been frightening for you and your mum. Glad everything worked out for you as well. Thankfully, our bodies are very resilient.
Wow. What a read! Glad you have recovered, and glad the Swedish medical system does not charge the earth. What a scary thing to have gone through. The love for - and the missing of - your Mum shines through every sentence. i hope you find peace with that. 🙏
6,000 words and I had to take breaks while reading it. Really a first class piece of writing. Thanks for sharing it.
I think that the contrast to your US job, and US healthcare is also, for those of us who are American, troubling.
I felt myself in your description of walling off your early pain and discomfort, and in your desire to go home (Sweden, Sverige) before going to the hospital. All your efforts to maintain control of your fate.
Thanks.
As a practical suggestion, buy a travel health insurance plan. In addition to the financial benefits, they will provide telephone assistance and advice, when you are in need of healthcare and far from home. Not every healthcare system is as good as Sweden's, and it's good to have someone as your advocate.
Thank you, I really appreciate your taking the time to read it and to respond so thoughtfully.
You’re absolutely right about travel insurance. At the time, I didn’t yet realize that in Sweden, travel medical coverage is usually included through basic renters/homeowners insurance, which for us is about $15 a month. We should have contacted them, but we didn’t fully understand how it worked then. Thankfully, we do now and are grateful for the efficiency in that system as well.
You're an excellent writer. Your vivid descriptions brought me back to my own travel in Morocco, and to my own week-long appendectomy recovery hospital stay at the age of 9. The scar no one sees.
I love that you are building the writers life of your dreams. And I'm grateful to have encountered your work!
Sending you and your wife a big hug. Being sick in general is stressful and being sick somewhere unfamiliar adds a whole other layer. Regarding the healthcare system in Europe vs U.S., it's hard to wrap my head around this sometimes, not being American. But don't give up on Morocco, glad to read in the other comments that you liked Tangier (I loved it).
Thank you. It is very hard to grasp the absurdity of the American healthcare system, even as an American. I have not given up on Morocco, and glad you have enjoyed Tangier as well. I’m keen to explore Fez next (city-wise).
Thanks for sharing this deeply personal, moving story, Scott. It brought back memories of emergency surgery in a foreign country and re-thinking my priorities after such an unexpected severe illness. I hope you get the chance to experience Morocco again. Thanks for sharing!
Sorry something similar also happened to you and glad you recovered. I did head back to Morocco (Tangier) recently before this anniversary, figured it was important to reset that, and did enjoy it more than Marrakech.
I lost my mom earlier this year. I can't imagine having to go through that at fifteen. The dream scene where you go looking for her was painfully relatable. Anyway... enjoyed reading this more vulnerable piece. Wonder what the Marrakech Tourism Board's reaction will be.
I’m really sorry for your loss, Trey. Losing a parent is brutal at any age.
Thank you for reading this one. And yes, while I imagine Marrakech’s tourism board probably won’t be framing this piece anytime soon, I do think honesty matters in this line of work. Not every place hits the same for everyone, and that’s part of telling the truth about travel.
I’m glad you’re alive even though I don’t know you. I have a vague idea of how this must’ve felt, because I had appendicitis while far from home in grad school in Scotland (nowhere near as bad as yours- didn’t burst) and years later I spent 11 hours at an ER in Sweden (only 2months after moving there alone, with no Swedish yet- and also no personnumer yet) due to a bad case of food poisoning.
And there are other stories, like acute hepatitis in Burkina Faso.
What I’m trying to say is, I can understand what a lonely and terrifying experience it is to be sick in a foreign country even if your wife was there for you. Glad Swedes took good care of you.
And sorry for the lack of compassion from bosses and certain relatives. That truly sucks.
Thank you, Liza. And wow, you’ve also been through more than your share of medical scares far from home. I’m really glad you got the care you needed, too. Going through the healthcare system here before getting a personnummer has got to be stressful.
Incredible, gripping tale. I was in suspense and from the title I at first suspected a tooth issue, I remember when an ex-girlfriend had major tooth trouble in Nigeria and what an ordeal that was to fix.
Ah, yes, a tooth abscess is no small thing. I’m glad it worked out for her. Dentistry is one of those things you don’t realize the importance of until you suddenly need it, especially in an emergency.
Nothing terrifies me more than being in need of life-saving medical support in an unfamiliar place. Glad it all worked out for you, and for the price, you really lucked out! Have to admit, I kept waiting on a nod to Suleika Jaouad and her column. Happy anniversary!
Thank you, Jess. I actually wasn’t familiar with Suleika Jaouad’s column before you mentioned it, but I’m grateful for the recommendation and will read her work!
I could relate to much of this story, having experienced sepsis after a mis-diagnosed ruptured intestine. It is unreal, surreal, and just amazing that you have turned it into a compelling and beautiful story. Wow.
Thank you so much for this, Susan. I’m really sorry you went through something so severe. I’m glad the piece had such meaning to you, even if the overlap comes from something neither of us would have chosen to experience. I really appreciate you reading and taking the time to share this.
Scott, I held my breath through this — the van, the riad, the gray medina, and then that pale railroad track down your abdomen. The way you braid the abscess with all the sealed-off parts of a life (the job, the grief, the distance with people) is devastating and so true; sometimes the “afterthought” is what finally forces everything into the light.
I love how much care and gratitude you give the nurses and the Swedish system, and how you let this be both a near-miss and a beginning. Grateful you’re still here to tell it — and to keep building that more alive life, one reader at a time.
💛 Kelly
Thanks, Kelly I was very fortunate and wanted to make sure the real heroes of this story, nurses, doctors, my wife were really acknowledged.
You did that beautifully, Scott. The way you centered your wife and the medical team gave the whole piece its heart. I’m glad you came through it — and grateful you shared the story. – Kelly
This was so intense, even just to read. I knew from the start what was wrong. Not because I'm a doctor, but because I had appendicitis on the way home from a holiday in France when I was 10. I recognised the feeling of malaise as well as the sickness. I was much luckier than you because a policeman at a service station my mum asked for a doctor sent us straight to the hospital. They operated immediately. What a scary ordeal you had. Bless you.
Thank you, Lisa. Appendicitis hits with such a strange feeling, and having it on the way home from a holiday at ten must’ve been frightening for you and your mum. Glad everything worked out for you as well. Thankfully, our bodies are very resilient.
Wow. What a read! Glad you have recovered, and glad the Swedish medical system does not charge the earth. What a scary thing to have gone through. The love for - and the missing of - your Mum shines through every sentence. i hope you find peace with that. 🙏
6,000 words and I had to take breaks while reading it. Really a first class piece of writing. Thanks for sharing it.
I think that the contrast to your US job, and US healthcare is also, for those of us who are American, troubling.
I felt myself in your description of walling off your early pain and discomfort, and in your desire to go home (Sweden, Sverige) before going to the hospital. All your efforts to maintain control of your fate.
Thanks.
As a practical suggestion, buy a travel health insurance plan. In addition to the financial benefits, they will provide telephone assistance and advice, when you are in need of healthcare and far from home. Not every healthcare system is as good as Sweden's, and it's good to have someone as your advocate.
Also, congratulations on leaving the old job!
Thank you, I really appreciate your taking the time to read it and to respond so thoughtfully.
You’re absolutely right about travel insurance. At the time, I didn’t yet realize that in Sweden, travel medical coverage is usually included through basic renters/homeowners insurance, which for us is about $15 a month. We should have contacted them, but we didn’t fully understand how it worked then. Thankfully, we do now and are grateful for the efficiency in that system as well.
Wow. A gripping read start to finish. Glad it turned out the way it did and you are here to share the story.
Thanks, Jonathan.
You're an excellent writer. Your vivid descriptions brought me back to my own travel in Morocco, and to my own week-long appendectomy recovery hospital stay at the age of 9. The scar no one sees.
I love that you are building the writers life of your dreams. And I'm grateful to have encountered your work!
Thank you, Deborah.
Sending you and your wife a big hug. Being sick in general is stressful and being sick somewhere unfamiliar adds a whole other layer. Regarding the healthcare system in Europe vs U.S., it's hard to wrap my head around this sometimes, not being American. But don't give up on Morocco, glad to read in the other comments that you liked Tangier (I loved it).
Thank you. It is very hard to grasp the absurdity of the American healthcare system, even as an American. I have not given up on Morocco, and glad you have enjoyed Tangier as well. I’m keen to explore Fez next (city-wise).
Thanks for sharing this deeply personal, moving story, Scott. It brought back memories of emergency surgery in a foreign country and re-thinking my priorities after such an unexpected severe illness. I hope you get the chance to experience Morocco again. Thanks for sharing!
Sorry something similar also happened to you and glad you recovered. I did head back to Morocco (Tangier) recently before this anniversary, figured it was important to reset that, and did enjoy it more than Marrakech.
I lost my mom earlier this year. I can't imagine having to go through that at fifteen. The dream scene where you go looking for her was painfully relatable. Anyway... enjoyed reading this more vulnerable piece. Wonder what the Marrakech Tourism Board's reaction will be.
I’m really sorry for your loss, Trey. Losing a parent is brutal at any age.
Thank you for reading this one. And yes, while I imagine Marrakech’s tourism board probably won’t be framing this piece anytime soon, I do think honesty matters in this line of work. Not every place hits the same for everyone, and that’s part of telling the truth about travel.
I’m glad you’re alive even though I don’t know you. I have a vague idea of how this must’ve felt, because I had appendicitis while far from home in grad school in Scotland (nowhere near as bad as yours- didn’t burst) and years later I spent 11 hours at an ER in Sweden (only 2months after moving there alone, with no Swedish yet- and also no personnumer yet) due to a bad case of food poisoning.
And there are other stories, like acute hepatitis in Burkina Faso.
What I’m trying to say is, I can understand what a lonely and terrifying experience it is to be sick in a foreign country even if your wife was there for you. Glad Swedes took good care of you.
And sorry for the lack of compassion from bosses and certain relatives. That truly sucks.
Thank you, Liza. And wow, you’ve also been through more than your share of medical scares far from home. I’m really glad you got the care you needed, too. Going through the healthcare system here before getting a personnummer has got to be stressful.
Incredible, gripping tale. I was in suspense and from the title I at first suspected a tooth issue, I remember when an ex-girlfriend had major tooth trouble in Nigeria and what an ordeal that was to fix.
What a story!
Ah, yes, a tooth abscess is no small thing. I’m glad it worked out for her. Dentistry is one of those things you don’t realize the importance of until you suddenly need it, especially in an emergency.
Incredible. You are lucky to be alive. Thankfully you had your wife by your side
Yes, it could have been very different if it had been a solo trip.
Nothing terrifies me more than being in need of life-saving medical support in an unfamiliar place. Glad it all worked out for you, and for the price, you really lucked out! Have to admit, I kept waiting on a nod to Suleika Jaouad and her column. Happy anniversary!
Thank you, Jess. I actually wasn’t familiar with Suleika Jaouad’s column before you mentioned it, but I’m grateful for the recommendation and will read her work!
I could relate to much of this story, having experienced sepsis after a mis-diagnosed ruptured intestine. It is unreal, surreal, and just amazing that you have turned it into a compelling and beautiful story. Wow.
Thank you so much for this, Susan. I’m really sorry you went through something so severe. I’m glad the piece had such meaning to you, even if the overlap comes from something neither of us would have chosen to experience. I really appreciate you reading and taking the time to share this.
Thank you, Debbie. I really appreciate your reading and kind words.