A family holiday across Southeast Asia has turned into a nightmare for a young Australian mother, who remains critically ill in a Vietnamese hospital after undergoing cosmetic procedures.
A Holiday Turned Medical Crisis
Chloe Mowday, a 31-year-old mother of three from Western Australia, was on an extended holiday with her husband Josh and their five-year-old son. The family had already visited Bali, Hong Kong, and Singapore before arriving in Vietnam.
Their travels came to an abrupt halt two weeks ago when Chloe decided to have a rhinoplasty and blepharoplasty – surgery on her nose and eyelids – at a clinic in the coastal city of Da Nang. She spent one night at the unnamed clinic and was discharged the following morning.
Organs Begin to Fail
Returning to her hotel, Ms Mowday was found unresponsive just hours later as her organs began shutting down. She had to be resuscitated in the ambulance on the way to hospital, where she was placed in a coma on life support for two weeks.
Although she has now regained consciousness, Chloe remains in intensive care in a critical condition. She requires dialysis, has needed a blood transfusion, and is on medication to stabilise her dangerously low blood pressure. Her brother, Rod, who flew to Vietnam immediately, described the distressing scene.
"What I saw was just heartbreaking. She was not awake, she had tubes coming out of her," he told news.com.au. "Her blood pressure got so low her feet and fingers turned black."
A Desperate Race to Bring Her Home
The family is now in a frantic race against time to raise the substantial funds needed to fly Chloe back to Australia for treatment. Doctors have advised that her chances of recovery would be significantly better at home.
An online fundraiser set up by her brother states that an air ambulance requires an upfront payment of $125,000 AUD (approximately £65,000). The fundraiser has gathered over $15,000 in just five days, but the family is also exploring bank loans, accessing superannuation, and working extra hours to bridge the gap.
"She is such a beautiful girl and a loving soul with three young children and a loving husband who has been by her side," the appeal adds. The exact cause of her severe reaction is still under investigation, with local police also understood to be involved.
The Cost of Medical Tourism
The case highlights the potential risks of travelling abroad for cheaper cosmetic surgery. Da Nang has become a known hub for such procedures, where costs are a fraction of those in Australia.
A rhinoplasty in Vietnam costs around $2,076 AUD, compared to roughly $9,200 in Australia. Similarly, a blepharoplasty is about $2,025 AUD in Da Nang – less than a third of the Australian price.
Chloe Mowday now faces a long and uncertain road to recovery, with her family clinging to hope as they work tirelessly to bring her back to Australian soil.
