Bali Traveler Blinded by Methanol Cocktail: A Harrowing Ordeal and Warning

A Backpacking Trip Gone Wrong

• 🎒 Ashley King, then 18, embarked on a backpacking trip to Bali, seeking adventure before college.
• ⚠️ Despite an overwhelming sense of unease and a series of misfortunes like pickpocketing and sickness, she decided to stay.
• 🍹 On her last night, she unknowingly consumed a methanol-tainted cocktail served in a plastic water bottle, which she described as a mixed drink.

Sudden Blindness and Methanol Poisoning

• 😵 The next day, while traveling to New Zealand, Ashley experienced extreme fatigue and a dimming of her surroundings.
• 🏥 Upon seeking help, she realized she couldn't see colors and by the time she reached the hospital, she was completely blind and struggling to breathe.
• 🧪 Doctors discovered a large amount of methanol in her system, a cheaper, illegally added alcohol that turns blood acidic and damages organs.

Life-Saving Treatment and Lingering Effects

• 🥃 To counteract the methanol, doctors administered pure ethanol (alcohol) to Ashley, forcing her to drink large quantities rapidly.
• 🏥 This treatment helped her breathing stabilize and her vision return from complete darkness to perceiving light and shapes.
• 💔 Despite surviving, Ashley was informed that her vision loss was likely permanent, with doctors attributing it to dying optic nerves.

Overcoming Adversity and Regaining Independence

• 😔 Ashley initially struggled with depression, anger, and denial, feeling like blindness was a "death sentence" and fearing judgment.
• 💪 She eventually realized she was the only one who could change her circumstances and outlook, leading her to return to university and travel again.
• ✨ While she lost nearly all her vision, her brain has compensated, allowing her to live independently and pursue her passions.

Advocacy and Awareness Campaign

• 🎭 Ashley channeled her experience into a successful play titled "Static, a party girl's memoir," which has garnered awards and led to a podcast.
• 📢 She launched a Change.org campaign to raise awareness about methanol poisoning, advocating for education in schools and warnings in airports and on airlines.
• ⚠️ King emphasizes that methanol poisoning is preventable and urges travelers to be cautious of suspiciously cheap drinks, as methanol is undetectable by smell or taste.