Southern California father in coma while abroad; family desperate to bring him home
A Southern California family is desperate to bring their father home, who remains in a coma after suffering a medical emergency while traveling abroad.
Loved ones said Manuel Contreras, 47, a father of three from Victorville, loves traveling and spending time with his family.
He recently flew to Cancun, Mexico, to visit a childhood friend. However, during the trip, he initially suffered a small stroke, which was followed by a much larger stroke two days later.
He was rushed to the hospital, where he remains in a coma and in critical condition.
'My dad, he's probably the most hardworking, most active person I know,' Manuel's son, Gabriel Contreras, told KTLA's Shelby Nelson. 'He was going to be gone for a week and it was just to spend time with his friend.'
Manuel's children were notified of their father's hospitalization on May 30.
'I believe he collapsed and luckily, there was someone there to be of assistance,' Contreras said. 'Once the ambulance came to assist my dad to the hospital, his friend was able to meet him there.'
Since then, Manuel's children said they've been met with one heartbreaking challenge after another.
Manuel is currently on Medi-Cal in the United States. The hospital in Mexico that could properly treat his condition would not accept his insurance, so he was transferred to a general hospital instead.
'At the general hospital, they don't have the adequate funding or equipment to treat him there, so they're just putting him into an induced coma and hoping his body heals,' said Ralene Contreras, Manuel's daughter.
His family is now desperately working to bring him back to the U.S. to receive proper medical care, but the cost of transporting him from overseas is extremely high and beyond what they could ever afford.
'Flying him to Houston will cost about $30,000 to get him just into the States to get treated,' Ralene said.
Loved ones have set up a GoFundMe page in hopes of raising money to bring Manuel back. They've also contacted their local congressman, Jay Obernolte, and the U.S. embassy for help, but said they've received no response.
In addition to the stroke, loved ones said Manuel is also suffering from a respiratory infection. With time running out, his children said they are trying to stay hopeful that their father could recover, but are also desperate to bring him back home.
'He's always by his phone because just in case his kids call, he always wants to be the first one there to help them,' Ralene said tearfully. 'I feel helpless knowing that if I call his phone, he's not going to answer.'
'We don't want to think about the worst,' Gabriel said. 'We want to think about the best possible outcome. We know my dad is a very strong man.'
A GoFundMe page to help with Manuel's medical transport costs can be found here.
A raffle fundraiser will also be held at Bombshells Bar & Grill in Victorville on Friday, June 6 at 6 p.m. with raffle prizes.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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