A young Sydney mother's dream family holiday descended into a life-threatening crisis after she developed sepsis during a layover in the United States, with doctors warning she was mere hours from death.
A Festive Trip Turns to Medical Emergency
Jasmin San Jose, 26, from Sydney's southwest, was travelling with her fiancé, Leonel Calderon Lopez, 25, and their three young children—aged four, two, and one—to Honduras for Christmas. Their journey included a stop in Dallas, Texas, on November 26.
Shortly after landing, Ms San Jose was struck by severe, labour-like pains on her right side. Rushed to hospital, she was initially diagnosed with a kidney stone, given medication, and sent away. "A couple of hours later she got a lot worse," Mr Lopez recounted. "She had a fever, chills, shaking and the pain became unbearable."
Upon returning to the hospital, doctors discovered the stone was infected. Ms San Jose described the agony: "I was so so sick. I was having these shivers, these awful shakes. I was so cold that my bones were hurting, my body was aching."
Race Against Time to Treat Sepsis
Ms San Jose underwent emergency surgery, where a stent was placed beside her kidney after doctors found the stone was blocking her urethra. The waking revelation was terrifying: the infection had entered her bloodstream, causing sepsis.
Medical staff told the couple that delaying treatment by just one more hour could have been fatal. "Hearing that was honestly one of the scariest moments of my life," said Mr Lopez.
While Ms San Jose began a gruelling recovery, learning to walk again, Mr Lopez faced a heart-wrenching decision. He took their three children to stay with family in Honduras before returning alone to Dallas to care for his partner.
Mounting Costs and Insurance Regret
The family's ordeal is compounded by a looming financial crisis. They did not purchase travel insurance for the trip, having planned to spend most of their time with family and due to past negative experiences with providers.
They now anxiously await a medical bill expected to reach tens of thousands of dollars, which will only be confirmed once they return to Australia. A GoFundMe page has been launched to help cover the costs.
Further complications arose with Qantas, from whom they struggled to recoup funds for a cancelled flight despite, they claim, initial assurances on compassionate grounds. The airline acknowledged it could have provided better support and has since worked to re-accommodate the family on a flight home.
Ms San Jose was discharged but has since been readmitted as symptoms returned. The couple's immediate hope is to fly to Honduras to reunite with their children as soon as she is able. Ms San Jose will also require further surgery in Australia to remove the stent.
