A young Kiwi tourist is facing overwhelming medical bills after coming down with a life-threatening case of pneumonia in the United States in a poignant reminder for travellers to take out travel insurance.
Amanda Sesio travelled to Los Angeles for a family wedding in late June and came down with pneumococcal pneumonia on 1 July.
The young traveller told The Daily Mail that she was rushed to the hospital and placed on life support, describing the ordeal as a “rollercoaster”.
Her condition worsened and the pneumonia lead to hypoxemic respiratory failure, blood infections and a build-up of fluid in her lungs.
Her treatment in the hospital saw her accumulate USD$207,000 ($294,747) worth of medical bills.
Sesio’s brother, Shane Tuala, began a Go Fund Me last week to help the young Kiwi cope with her bills.
“It was a tough time for us to see Amanda alone in these circumstances,” Tuala said.
“Any donation, no matter the size, would greatly help us in covering Amanda’s medical costs and we would be forever grateful for any support we receive.”
The fund has so far received USD$22,318 ($31,782) from 394 donors.
Sesio told The Daily Mail that she has only just started to recover from the experience.
