This Australian mother is trapped in Peru—Could your help save her life?
- Replies 36
It’s the kind of story that makes you hug your loved ones a little tighter and count your blessings for the healthcare we have here in Australia.
Right now, a Sydney family is facing every traveller’s worst nightmare—and the only way to save her is to bring her home—at a staggering cost of $200,000.
Maria Hermilia Murrieta, 59, is no ordinary mum.
She’s the proud mother of eight and grandmother to 13, described by her family as vibrant, loving, and the glue that holds everyone together. In June, she set off to South America with her youngest daughter,
Ash, whom she cares for full-time due to an intellectual disability. The trip was meant to be a step towards a healthier future: Maria, who suffers from diabetes, had scheduled a weight loss surgery in hopes of easing her pain and improving her quality of life.
But what was supposed to be a new beginning quickly turned into a nightmare. Now, she is fighting for her life in a Peruvian hospital.
Just hours after her operation, Maria began to haemorrhage and ‘lost so much blood’ that she had to be rushed back into surgery. The complications triggered septic shock, leaving her critically ill.
Since then, she has endured five surgeries, multiple blood transfusions, chest tubes to drain fluid from her lungs, abdominal drains—including to her spleen—and a medically induced coma. She also requires a feeding tube and a central venous catheter for nutrition.
‘The doctors basically said we had to say goodbye,’ her daughter Maritza Hlentzos recalled. ‘Her lungs were filled with fluid and she had three different types of infections and everything was just really bad. Her kidneys are still going quite strong, but she was in such a dangerous state.’
Her condition has swung between hope and heartbreak. One moment she was awake and talking, the next deteriorating again with abdominal collections and severe infections.
Her eldest daughter, Maritza Hlentzos, says her mother’s strength, faith in God, and love for her family are what’s kept her alive so far.
Maritza also shared the family’s ordeal: ‘She went over there with the hope of making her life better, to live longer. The doctor promised her the world, but it all went terribly wrong. She wasn’t even obese, but was told surgery was her only option for relief from pain and diabetes. Now, we’re just trying to keep her alive.’
The ordeal has also placed enormous strain on the family. Maritza, a mother of two, has flown to Peru alongside one of her younger sisters, and is now also caring for Ash.
Other siblings have travelled from Sydney to Lima one by one to be by their mother’s side.
All the while, the family has been draining their savings—not only for medical bills, but for basics like sheets and blankets.
‘It’s crazy and a totally different world … they just don’t have the registered resources here,’ Maritza said. ‘One moment she was laughing and travelling … the next, she was in critical condition and doctors told us to say goodbye. My mum deserves so much better. You are just treated like absolute rubbish. There wasn’t even running water in her taps.’
With no insurance and limited support, the siblings are exhausted mentally, physically, and financially.
One sister survives on a Disability Support Pension that barely covers rent, adding another layer of stress.
Now, their only hope is to raise the minimum $200,000 needed to bring Maria home by air ambulance for urgent advanced care in Australia.
On their GoFundMe page, the family wrote: ‘We have fought tirelessly to support our mum, both emotionally and financially, while navigating the challenges of the Peruvian healthcare system. But now, we’ve exhausted every resource. To survive, she must be flown home for treatment that can’t be provided where she is. An air ambulance is her only hope, and we need to raise $200,000 urgently.’
So far, the fundraiser has reached $12,259, still a fraction of what’s needed.
For Maria’s family, the situation is now critical. ‘We are exhausted mentally, physically, and financially,’ Maritza says. ‘Everything just feels so far out of reach. But we can’t give up.’
If you’d like to help, you can find their GoFundMe page here—every little bit counts, and even sharing their story can make a difference.
Read more: Adelaide fashion entrepreneur dies after using magic mushrooms as alternative treatment
Have you or someone you know ever faced a medical emergency overseas? What advice would you give to fellow members about travelling for medical procedures or ensuring you’re covered in case of the unexpected? Share your thoughts, experiences, or words of support for Maria’s family in the comments below!
Right now, a Sydney family is facing every traveller’s worst nightmare—and the only way to save her is to bring her home—at a staggering cost of $200,000.
Maria Hermilia Murrieta, 59, is no ordinary mum.
She’s the proud mother of eight and grandmother to 13, described by her family as vibrant, loving, and the glue that holds everyone together. In June, she set off to South America with her youngest daughter,
Ash, whom she cares for full-time due to an intellectual disability. The trip was meant to be a step towards a healthier future: Maria, who suffers from diabetes, had scheduled a weight loss surgery in hopes of easing her pain and improving her quality of life.
But what was supposed to be a new beginning quickly turned into a nightmare. Now, she is fighting for her life in a Peruvian hospital.
An Aussie mum is critically ill in a Peruvian hospital after a weight loss surgery went wrong, leaving her family desperate to raise $200,000 to bring her home for urgent medical care. Image source: GoFundMe.
Just hours after her operation, Maria began to haemorrhage and ‘lost so much blood’ that she had to be rushed back into surgery. The complications triggered septic shock, leaving her critically ill.
Since then, she has endured five surgeries, multiple blood transfusions, chest tubes to drain fluid from her lungs, abdominal drains—including to her spleen—and a medically induced coma. She also requires a feeding tube and a central venous catheter for nutrition.
‘The doctors basically said we had to say goodbye,’ her daughter Maritza Hlentzos recalled. ‘Her lungs were filled with fluid and she had three different types of infections and everything was just really bad. Her kidneys are still going quite strong, but she was in such a dangerous state.’
Her condition has swung between hope and heartbreak. One moment she was awake and talking, the next deteriorating again with abdominal collections and severe infections.
Her eldest daughter, Maritza Hlentzos, says her mother’s strength, faith in God, and love for her family are what’s kept her alive so far.
Maritza also shared the family’s ordeal: ‘She went over there with the hope of making her life better, to live longer. The doctor promised her the world, but it all went terribly wrong. She wasn’t even obese, but was told surgery was her only option for relief from pain and diabetes. Now, we’re just trying to keep her alive.’
The ordeal has also placed enormous strain on the family. Maritza, a mother of two, has flown to Peru alongside one of her younger sisters, and is now also caring for Ash.
Other siblings have travelled from Sydney to Lima one by one to be by their mother’s side.
All the while, the family has been draining their savings—not only for medical bills, but for basics like sheets and blankets.
‘It’s crazy and a totally different world … they just don’t have the registered resources here,’ Maritza said. ‘One moment she was laughing and travelling … the next, she was in critical condition and doctors told us to say goodbye. My mum deserves so much better. You are just treated like absolute rubbish. There wasn’t even running water in her taps.’
With no insurance and limited support, the siblings are exhausted mentally, physically, and financially.
One sister survives on a Disability Support Pension that barely covers rent, adding another layer of stress.
Now, their only hope is to raise the minimum $200,000 needed to bring Maria home by air ambulance for urgent advanced care in Australia.
On their GoFundMe page, the family wrote: ‘We have fought tirelessly to support our mum, both emotionally and financially, while navigating the challenges of the Peruvian healthcare system. But now, we’ve exhausted every resource. To survive, she must be flown home for treatment that can’t be provided where she is. An air ambulance is her only hope, and we need to raise $200,000 urgently.’
So far, the fundraiser has reached $12,259, still a fraction of what’s needed.
For Maria’s family, the situation is now critical. ‘We are exhausted mentally, physically, and financially,’ Maritza says. ‘Everything just feels so far out of reach. But we can’t give up.’
If you’d like to help, you can find their GoFundMe page here—every little bit counts, and even sharing their story can make a difference.
Read more: Adelaide fashion entrepreneur dies after using magic mushrooms as alternative treatment
Have you or someone you know ever faced a medical emergency overseas? What advice would you give to fellow members about travelling for medical procedures or ensuring you’re covered in case of the unexpected? Share your thoughts, experiences, or words of support for Maria’s family in the comments below!
.png){kind=icon}
