An Auckland teenager is paralysed in a Vietnamese hospital after developing a rare and serious neurological condition while travelling with family to celebrate her 18th birthday.
Auri Law travelled to the Southeast Asian country to mark a milestone birthday and meet her older sister Caea and uncle and aunt.
After a day of biking in hot conditions on July 7, she began to experience symptoms. She was initially treated for dehydration at a local hospital and discharged, but was rushed back hours later when she became unable to move her legs.
Doctors soon became concerned about her respiratory system failing and potentially requiring intubation.
An ambulance transfer to a better-equipped hospital in Ho Chi Minh City was necessary but was arranged only after Auri’s uncle paid an upfront bill of more than NZ$8000.
Doctors subsequently diagnosed Auri with Guillain-Barré Syndrome – a rare and serious condition where the immune system mistakenly attacks the nerves, leading to muscle weakness and, in severe cases, complete paralysis.
Guillain-Barré Syndrome, an autoimmune disorder, affected around 1-2 people out of every 100,000 annually worldwide.
Back in New Zealand, her mother Staci faced a logistical dilemma with both travel arrangements and visa hurdles.
The mother-of-four needed to go to Vietnam but first her eldest daughter Caea had to return to Auckland to look after the youngest two.
Flights for Caea to New Zealand and for Staci to Vietnam came to more than NZ$6000.
She described the initial period of being stuck in New Zealand, unable to reach her daughter, as “hell” and said her heart was “split in all directions”.
Despite the challenges, she told 1News the support had been “overflowing” and thanked everyone who had gone “above and beyond for my family”.
More than $10,000 in donations had been raised through a Givealittle page, alongside offers of help with food, childcare, airport pick-ups, arranging flights, and visa assistance.
“I knew my family and I had a village, but I never realised how grand of a village it is,” Staci said.
“Anything that had to be done, someone — if not multiple someones — had already offered to do it or help with it. It was overwhelming, but the gratitude I have for my village is just out of this world phenomenal.
“Without the donations, it simply wouldn’t have been possible.”
Arriving in Vietnam and seeing Auri brought on “so many emotions”, she said.
“It’s a relief in still being useless but being useless while right beside her.”
Auri told 1News, through her mother, that having her mum by her side was like “having a slice of home” with her.
The morning’s headlines in 90 seconds, including an Auckland teen seriously ill in Vietnam, Trump slams supporters, and Icelandic volcano prompts evacuations. (Source: 1News)
“She finds that really comforting as that’s where she wants to be right now, in her own bed with her dog snuggled up beside her.”
This experience made one thing clear for Staci: “Travel insurance is a must.”
“In this particular situation, it highlights the risk while travelling solo if you’re faced with a condition where you can’t move or see, and while Auri travelled solo to Vietnam, she was fortunate enough to meet her sister, Uncle Lele and Aunty Tash here, so she wasn’t alone,” she said.
Now, Staci and her family are navigating the uncertainty of what comes next.
“We’ve not been in this situation before, so it’s all unknown to us.”
