Adelaide woman Paris Hedger had saved for a trip to the United States since she was 13 years old, but soon after she arrived, her life was turned upside down because of a life-threatening medical condition.
A few months before she was hospitalised, Hedger was working as a travel content creator, securing paid work and sponsorships for her social media pages.
Her mother Karen said it breaks her heart that her daughter’s future is uncertain as doctors work to help her recover.
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“I was just so sad that she just worked her whole life for all of this,” Karen said.
“The one thing she wanted more than anything in the world (has) nearly killed her. (I) just can’t get my head around it.”
Hedger’s lungs are only working at 60 per cent capacity, and she has blood clots and a damaged valve.
She has been diagnosed with chronic thrombosis pulmonary hypertension — a life-threatening condition that causes extremely high blood pressure.
Doctors can’t be certain why Hedger fell ill, but Karen said in November last year, her daughter went on a cruise to Vanuatu, where she was kicked in the leg by a horse while on a riding tour.
At the time, hospital staff said Hedger was OK, but doctors now believe being on a plane so soon after her injury may have caused a blood clot.
Hedger arrived in the US in December, but three weeks into her trip she knew something wasn’t right.
“There was one day when I was going to the movies with my friend … and I couldn’t even walk … it was about 100m, and I felt like I was going to pass out,” she said.
“After that, I went to the doctor … and that’s when he explained how bad my condition was.
“It got to the point that day that I was coughing every 10 seconds, I just couldn’t breathe.”
Hedger’s condition worsened, and when she was in Los Angeles, she fainted. She was rushed to hospital where doctors did scans on her lungs and heart.
Specialists told her blood clots covered 50 per cent of both her lungs, and the right side of her heart was damaged from swelling.
Hedger was rushed home to Adelaide on a medical flight. Doctors are trialling medication to open up her airways and reduce the strain on her heart before she gets surgery.
If that fails, Hedger may have to undergo a lung transplant, which could drastically reduce her life-span.
“She just said to me, ‘mum, I don’t want to die … I’ve worked my whole life for this’. She gets sad that it’s come to this, and she’s very disappointed with how much she’s missed out on,” Karen said.
Hedger struggles with daily tasks and sometimes faints because of a lack of oxygen.
Her mother said while she’s trying to stay positive, her daughter is still in shock and frustrated by the lack of answers on her treatment.
“You have a bit of hope that the blood thinners will work, and they don’t, then they mentioned surgery and that I’m not eligible for it. So it’s just been like a constant step back with no improvement,” Karen said.
Friends of the Golden Grove family have set up a GoFundMe to help Karen take time off work to support her daughter.
Karen owns an at-home hair salon, and said it was difficult to continue working with her daughter at home.
The fundraiser has so far raised more than $5,500.