$300k US hospital bill spurs plea

Christchurch resident Nicole Erickson is desperately pleading for donations after a trip to the United States to attend a wedding left her $300,000 out of pocket following emergency surgery that her travel insurer declined to cover.

Erickson and her husband Scott were about to attend the wedding of a close friend from her time working at DisneyWorld when she experienced pain and swelling in her leg, according to a fundraiser aimed at getting her back to New Zealand.

She went to an emergency department where she was placed in critical care, with tests showing she had an extensive blood clot from her ankle to her abdomen, as well as a clot in her lungs.

She was rushed to surgery to remove the clot and to place a stent to keep her vein open.

The couple missed the wedding, and their flight home, and Nicole Erickson is not expected to be medically cleared to fly for at least a month.

According to a Givealittle page set up by her mum, Moira Nogat, the travel insurer declined to cover her emergency.

“Though she has no history of clots, the company has stated that as she has a gene that has the potential to increase her risk of blood clots, the presence of that gene is considered a pre-existing medical condition and excludes her from coverage,” the Givealittle page says.

Erickson, who works as an anaesthetic technician, had just started work at a new hospital and does not have leave to cover the time away.

The couple must find the money to rebook flights, the fundraiser says, and pay for the hospital, imaging and surgical bills expected to reach more than $300,000.

The family set up the Givealittle page to pay for a safe flight home, the cost of surgery and hospital stay, medications and the cost of living in a foreign country for a month.

The page so far has attracted about $9000 in donations.