A well-known Melbourne horse trainer suffered a stroke in Bali after battling a severe bout of gastroenteritis, often referred to as “Bali belly”.
Mathew Ellerton, 51, was on holiday on the Indonesian island with his partner Leah and son Jacob when he began vomiting last week.
His illness, probably caused by contaminated food or drink, became so severe that he had to remain bedridden in the hotel.
Ms Ellerton told the Daily Mail Australia she believes Mr Ellerton was so dehydrated that a blood clot formed in his brain and blocked the flow of oxygen, leading to his stroke.
While it is unclear whether gastroenteritis (or traveler’s diarrhea) may have caused the medical incident, a senior Australian doctor said “it is difficult to deny that the two events were somehow related.”
The doctor, who asked to remain anonymous, admitted however that it was “difficult to think of a plausible connection between the two.”
The family’s nightmare began when Mr Ellerton got out of bed and “just collapsed” into a chair.
Ms Ellerton said her partner of 15 years suddenly turned pale and began sweating.
Mr Ellerton, Leah and their son Jacob are pictured in Bali before he suffered a stroke.
“I had to take him back to the hotel room and then run to find a doctor,” he recalled.
“I knew something was very wrong when I brought him inside and his face fell. I was so scared, but I couldn’t remember.”
Mr Ellerton was rushed to the intensive care unit of a nearby hospital where he underwent a thrombectomy to remove the blood clot.
He was then medically evacuated from Indonesia and taken to Royal Melbourne Hospital on Sunday night to recover in the stroke ward.
“He’s doing very well, his face is back to normal,” Ellerton said.
‘He is talking and has started walking, only his left arm is affected.
“That was starting to improve when we left Bali, he just needs a lot of physiotherapy to get him going again, but they are very happy with him at the Royal.”
Until the fateful holiday, the energetic father appeared fit and healthy, but he suffered from high blood pressure that he was treating with medication.
Mr Ellerton (pictured at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne in 2018) underwent a thrombectomy to remove a blood clot that had formed in his brain.
Ms Ellerton was fortunate to be able to “move things around” and use a credit card to pay hospital bills that were estimated to cost the family more than $50,000.
He said his brave son Jacob had remained strong throughout the ordeal in Bali.
“It was incredible, but I think it’s possible that now that he’s home he’s realized,” the worried mother explained.
‘He’ll be fine, he’ll just need a lot of love and attention.’
Mr Ellerton will eventually be moved to the rehabilitation ward as the racing community comes together in support of the respected horse trainer.
More than $90,000 has been donated to a GoFundMe Started by family friend Melissa Kennewell, who was in Bali when she collapsed.
She described the 51-year-old as an “instrumental part of the racing industry” and well-liked for his “humble and unassuming nature”.
Melbourne horse trainer Mathew Ellerton, 51, is pictured with his son Jacob in Bali last week.
The Australian Trainers’ Association is understood to be working with Racing Victoria to help the Ellerton family cover some of his medical bills.
Mr Ellerton works as a horse trainer at Flemington, Melbourne, with almost 1,500 races and 15 wins at the highest level to his name.
“He is a man of strong ethics and has a practical approach, ensuring the welfare of each horse in his care,” reads his biography on Ellerton Racing.
‘He has a natural gift for evaluating young horses, adjusting their training accordingly and providing owners with honest, unbiased feedback.
‘Mathew’s formula has worked for more than 20 years and has produced winner after winner on the city or provincial circuit.’
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