Australian fitness influencer Khiana Smith, 23, is fighting for her life in a Bali hospital after contracting bacterial and viral meningitis, hospital-contracted pneumonia and fluid on her lungs during a holiday.
The Gold Coast-based creator and online coach fell severely ill last month after travelling around Europe and then on to Bali, on what was meant to be a “trip of a lifetime.” She is now bedridden and in intensive care.
Sudden onset of severe symptoms
Smith told News.Au that she woke up one day with a severe headache and could not get out of bed. Healthcare professionals have not determined how she picked up the infection, suggesting it may have come from tainted food, water she had been swimming in, or potentially another traveller on her flight.
She realised something was seriously wrong when she began suffering “extreme head pains, dizziness, slurred speech, slurred vision, and a severe sensitivity to light.” Bacterial meningitis is a serious, fast-developing infection affecting the protective membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord, which can prove fatal without immediate treatment.
Rushed to hospital and mother flies out
When a villa IV drip proved insufficient in controlling her acute symptoms, paramedics took her to a Bali International Hospital in minutes. Her mother, Cass Smith, boarded the earliest flight to Indonesia after receiving the news.
“There is nothing more terrifying than knowing your child is fighting for her life in a foreign country and you're thousands of kilometres away, unable to hold her hand,” she told news.com.au in an exclusive interview. Despite the challenges of being in an overseas hospital and dealing with a language barrier, the family commended the Indonesian medical team for their dedication.
Treatment and recovery outlook
Smith underwent a CT scan and was hooked up to an antibiotic drip within hours of her arrival – a swift response her mother believes “probably saved her life.” The family observed that medical professionals tended to the 23-year-old within 10 to 15 minutes during critical episodes, noting that the standard of care has surpassed what they usually encounter in Australian hospitals.
The illness has left her with after-effects of memory loss and difficulty maintaining conversations. “I have lost a lot of memory, like I really struggle to remember things,” she shared. While meningitis can lead to long-term complications from brain inflammation, her relatives remain optimistic that the swift delivery of antibiotics will ward off any permanent harm and that her memory difficulties will prove temporary.
Smith currently cannot board a flight owing to brain swelling and concerns about aircraft cabin pressure. Her family are optimistic she will receive medical clearance to travel in roughly a week's time, after which she plans to abandon her trip early and head straight to the Gold Coast for proper rest and recovery. “I feel absolutely helpless and I just wanna go home,” she said, adding that even doing the bare minimum feels impossible.
