Country's remarkable act after woman falls seriously ill on Bali holiday
A country has pulled together to cover the hospital and evacuation bills for a mother who fell seriously ill while on holiday in Bali.
Abby Hartley’s trip ended in disaster after she was placed in an induced coma and left fighting for life – with her insurance company refusing to cover her medical bills which now total more than $100,000.
Last month the 41-year-old mum from Hamilton, New Zealand was rushed to hospital with crippling pain. CT scans showed a twist in her bowel. Ms Hartley’s daughter Sophie said it caused a chunk of the organ to die.
A crowdfunding page was set up to cover the accumulating medical bills and has raised $218,000 (NZD$237,000) to date.
Additionally New Zealand National Party leader Simon Bridges has revealed he was contacted by a group of concerned New Zealanders who coughed up another $156,000 to fly Ms Hartley home. That donation will cover the medevac bill to fly her from Bali back to New Zealand.
“They could see the money was the issue,” Mr Bridges told Newstalk ZB.
“They have underwritten what has happened and paid for the medevac.”
Mr Bridges said the plane had now been paid for and she can return to New Zealand with her husband Richard when she is stable enough.
Ms Hartley’s daughter Sophie said her mother had surgery to remove the dead chunk of bowel in Bali but took a turn for the worst 48 hours later.
She was suffering from a condition known as respiratory distress syndrome and was placed in an induced coma on August 15. The mother is battling septicaemia and requires expensive and rare antibiotics.
