Tyler Perry has agreed to pay the $14K medical bill and travel costs for a couple stranded in Mexico.
The 50-year-old star stepped in after reading about the plight of Stephen Johnson, who fell ill with pancreatitis and diabetes while onboard a Carnival Dream cruise ship with fiancée Tori Austin.
Johnson was urged to seek treatment and spent three days in intensive care at a hospital in Progreso, Mexico, but when he was on the mend, he and his partner were presented with a huge bill which they were unable to pay as they had neither health nor travel insurance.
Austin asked if they could work out a payment plan once they were back home in the U.S. but the request was denied and they were physically barred from leaving the hospital.
The woman also claimed the staff locked windows to stop them from escaping and threatened to call the police if they tried to leave.
According to KTRK-TV, Perry heard about their struggles on “Good Morning America” and reached out to help.
Austin wrote on Facebook on Sunday, Nov. 24, 2019: “Today I am thankful for and will always be thankful for Tyler Perry. My mom was also a huge fan of his.”
According to NBC News, as of Saturday, Nov. 23, 2019, the hospital had not received the money but noted international transfers can take several days to come through.
It is currently unclear when the couple will return home but Austin said on Facebook they had been told they would be allowed to leave the hospital today, Monday, Nov. 25, 2019.
