British influencer Ashley Surcombe faced a setback in her ongoing health scare.
Surcombe, 29, was hospitalized in late March after being found unconscious in her South Korea apartment. After nearly a week in an intensive care unit, Surcombe was moved to a general floor. However, she was readmitted to the ICU on Wednesday, April 2, after her lung collapsed amid a battle with severe pneumonia.
Surcombe’s sister Kat subsequently told The Independent that the influencer is also now on a ventilator.
“The doctors have advised that she will remain there for the rest of the week,” Kat told the U.K. newspaper on Friday, April 4, calling the latest update “heartbreaking.”
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Kat added, “I know she’s in good hands and I have no doubt that she’s fighting with everything she has to come home. But the truth is, I miss her desperately. I just want to hug her and tell her she’s not alone. I’m very protective of my family, and not being able to be by Ashley’s side during what must be the most terrifying experience of her life has been one of the most difficult things I’ve ever faced.”
According to Kat, she has “sobbed from the deepest parts of myself” when thinking about “almost losing” her sister.
Kat revealed her sister’s health scare on March 27.
“As some of you may be aware, Ashley was found unconscious and unresponsive in her flat Monday 24th March and is currently in the ICU and could be there for a couple of weeks before we can bring her home,” she wrote in a post shared via Surcombe’s Instagram page. “I’ve created a GoFundMe on behalf of my parents, who have found themselves financially responsible for Ashley’s medical fees and bringing her back home — we as a family just don’t have the means to cover the mounting costs.”
The GoFundMe campaign has raised £19,593 at the time of publication.
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“Unfortunately, Ashley’s health insurance recently expired, and all medical expenses must now be paid out-of-pocket,” the fundraiser description reads. “That burden has fallen on my parents, both recently retired, and our family simply doesn’t have the means to cover such unexpected and overwhelming costs. My parents initially paid a deposit for Ashley’s admission and treatment, but that amount has already been surpassed — and her medical bills continue to grow. We don’t yet know how long she’ll require care or when she’ll be well enough to fly home.”
Surcombe’s father, Nigel, recently traveled to South Korea to be by the social media star’s bedside.
“He’s managing OK but there is a language barrier, but the doctors have been good at explaining what is going on,” mother Karen told The Independent. “What the medical costs moving forward are, we still don’t know as Nigel is waiting for an update. It’s not something that was important to us as our priority is to get Ashley home but she needs to be cleared fit to fly by doctors, and that could be another two weeks minimum.”
