As the summer travel season continues, one Calgarian is out with a warning for fellow travelers, based on her own experience.
Ashley King was just 19 when a single drink in Bali changed her life forever.
The Mount Royal University alumna unknowingly consumed bootleg alcohol laced with methanol — a poison that left her blind within days.
King says it took two days to start feeling the after-effects and she was totally unaware of the severity of her health situation.
“I had no idea that what was happening to me in that moment had anything to do with two days prior,” she recalled. “It wasn’t until I got to the hospital in New Zealand and the doctors had taken by blood results and realized I had a large amount of methanol in my system.
“By the time I got home, I was told I was going to be blind.”
Back in 2011, doctors in New Zealand worked hard to save her life. But her vision was gone forever.
“I was devastated,” King said. “I thought I would be coming home and going to university, I thought I would be going back to work and doing everything I did prior to traveling — that wasn’t the case for me.
“I had to learn how to be a blind person and start my life all over again.”
The loss was crushing, but King refused to give up.
Thirteen years later, she has rebuilt her life, and is sharing her journey with the world.
After battling depression, she studied journalism at Mount Royal University. Her podcast, ‘Static: A Party Girl’s Memoir,’ has already hit number one on Apple Podcasts.
“I think it is so important to make people aware of methanol poisoning,” King said. “If I knew about it, maybe I would have made different decisions when I was traveling. Maybe I wouldn’t have even gone to Bali.
“But, the fact is I didn’t know about it and most people around the world don’t know it exists. So, if I share my story and it can save one life, that’s all that matters.”
King has also launched a petition on Change.org to spread awareness about methanol poisoning, in hopes no one else will have to endure what she did.