Amanda Sesio returned home with a huge medical bill. Photo / Supplied
A New Zealander who almost died is stuck with a $230,000 debt after a US hospital visit.
Amanda Sesio experienced shortness of breath, sending her to the hospital while visiting Los Angeles.
Sesio was then diagnosed with life-threatening pneumococcal pneumonia.
She was placed on life support in an intensive care unit after experiencing hypoxemic respiratory failure, blood infections and fluid filling her lungs.
Sesio was in the US to attend a cousin's wedding on behalf of her family. She never made it to the celebration, instead having to "fight every day to put on a brave face," she said.
Her brother Shane Tuala said, "it was a tough time for us to see Amanda alone in these circumstances".
"If anyone knows Amanda, you'll know she has a heart of gold and is loved by many," he said. "Thankfully [she] slowly improved each day and is now home in NZ and on the road to recovery."
Tuala has started a GoFundMe campaign to help "make a small dent" in the US$147,595 ($228,668) debt. About $15,000 has already been raised.
Sesio addressed her friends and family through a Facebook post, saying the time has come "to be a little vulnerable and ... kindly ask for a helping hand".
She said of the ordeal, "It was certainly the biggest challenge of my life and although the rollercoaster has slowed down, (Praise the Lord!!!), there are still a few bumps ahead. One being this very large ... debt."
Sesio praised the health workers who "saved my life and mental health as they were my temporary little family in a very foreign and at times lonely place. Any contribution in some way is helping them know how appreciated they are.
"It hasn't been easy learning to accept or ask for help, its certainly something that doesn't especially come easy to us Pacific people. But for my family and myself it would mean the world."
"On arriving at the courthouse, they actually tried to sell the pig to its real owner."