Vietnam to ventilation: Sisters go on 18th birthday trip, one ends up in intensive care
Auri's first visit to hospital happened after she suffered symptoms of suspected dehydration.
'She had been on a bicycle tour, the temperature was high and she had drunk very little,' Law said.
The hospital ran blood tests, and carried out a chest X-ray and a CT scan. Despite her presentation, they couldn't find anything medically wrong, so they agreed it was dehydration, gave her some IV fluids and she went home.
At 1am the next morning, Auri tried to get out of bed but 'her legs just wouldn't work, and her uncle Lele rushed her immediately to the hospital', Staci Law said.
What was meant to be an adventurous trip to Vietnam to mark a milestone birthday has led to a teenager ending up in intensive care. Photo / Givealittle
Auri's uncle sent her mother a message to let her know what happened: 'He knew I'd be asleep given the time difference and as I have younger children.
'In the beginning, because all the tests were coming back clear, I wasn't overly concerned as I knew she was getting well taken care of and had her uncle, aunt and sister with her so she had a strong and supportive network right by her side.'
Law said that as time went on, her condition deteriorated severely and more tests were done, without any definitive diagnosis.
'I got extremely worried, and then when she was quickly transferred from the first hospital by ambulance to the second, so she could go into ICU, I was panicked, anxious and distressed.'
The team of neurologists are leaning towards Auri having a neurological condition called Guillain Barré Syndrome (GBS).
GBS is an autoimmune disease in which her body attacks itself instead of attacking an infection, leaving her paralysed, Law said.
Auri Law left for Vietnam two weeks ago to celebrate her 18th birthday with her older sister Caea. Photo / Givealittle
Language barrier 'huge concern' for family
Law said navigating the language barrier has been a huge concern for the family from the start.
'Trying to describe symptoms like dizziness, wobbly legs, double vision was tricky and we feared that it would get lost in translation.
'We didn't want her symptoms to be overlooked, but we also wanted to make sure they knew exactly what we meant so she wasn't treated for the wrong thing.'
Because Auri can't currently see, she doesn't know who is entering her room or why.
'That's scary for her, and then you add the language barrier on top, and you have a pretty difficult situation.
'It's extremely unsettling as we can only monitor and help ease the anxiety when we are here during visiting hours, but in the mornings and evenings, she is all alone trying to navigate this solo with no way to reach out for her,' Law said.
What was meant to be an adventurous trip to Vietnam to mark a milestone birthday led to 18-year-old Auri Law being placed in intensive care, unable to see and needing help to breathe. Photo / Givealittle
Mother's plea for help
A Givealittle was set up to help the family with flights to get her sister home, Mum to Vietnam and any costs not covered by medical insurance.
Any excess funds will go towards medical costs for Caea and Auri once they return to New Zealand, such as therapy and treatments.
At the time of Auri's hospital admission, her mother was stuck in New Zealand and she made a plea for help.
'The last 48 hours+ have been hell. My child lays sedated, unmoving in a hospital bed in a foreign country, not understanding the language being spoken around her, and I need to get to her,' Staci Law said on Givealittle.
Staci Law was unable to talk to or see Auri over video call for five days, because no phones were allowed in the intensive care unit.
Since Staci Law landed in Vietnam to be with her daughter, there have been small improvements in Auri's condition.
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NZ Herald
a day ago
- NZ Herald
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NZ Herald
2 days ago
- NZ Herald
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NZ Herald
5 days ago
- NZ Herald
Coroner recommends changes after fatal charity boxing match
The 141-page report recommends that waivers and medical declarations be signed 'as close to the event as reasonably practicable'. It also recommends that they contain specific questions to 'draw out whether a competitor has suffered an actual or suspected head injury/concussion'. Parsons potentially suffered a concussion or head injury during training – weeks before his fight took place. Neither the event promoter nor doctor was made aware of the incident. Parsons' family argued that he wasn't fully aware of the risk involved in the event. The findings recommend greater education for participants. 'Consider a compulsory seminar, say, 12 weeks out from an event for competitors, their trainer, the event doctor, and any other relevant stakeholders. A competitor's family could be encouraged to attend too,' reads the coroner's findings. Parsons' family is pleased with that aspect of the coroner's findings. 'We're pleased about the emphasis on education and proper informed consent, because there never has been informed consent for this,' says Dr Pete Benny, Kain Parsons' father-in-law. Christchurch man Kain Parsons with his daughters. Parsons was killed in a charity boxing match in 2018. Photo / Supplied Kain Parsons Kain Parsons was 37 when he climbed into the ring for a charity boxing match. He was a novice fighter – but had a long and storied history of giving. '[He] would help anyone. All his friends and stuff – he was always doing jobs for them,' says his wife, Alana Parsons. Alana says her husband enjoyed the boxing training and was 'excited' about being asked to participate – but the opportunity to raise money for charity was what 'drew him to the event'. Parsons is remembered by his wife as 'a great dad' to his three children – and was 'just fun to be around'. 'He had so many contacts for an Australian [who] wasn't brought up in Christchurch. 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'Many people that were part of that event insinuated that Kain was responsible for his death,' said Gascoigne. 'I sat through a week of listening to all parties that were involved in Kain's death and at no time did any one of those parties reflect and take responsibility for the part that they played in my son's death.' The coroner found that the referee for the fight could have done more. 'In terms of adverse comments, I have made a finding that [the referee] could have taken further, more focused available steps to assess Mr Parsons' ability to continue the match after the third standing eight count. I cannot make a finding of whether a further, more focused assessment would have resulted in an outcome that [the referee] should have called off the match. 'The above finding equates to there being available to [the referee] the opportunity to further assess Mr Parsons. It is not a finding that he should have called off the match. It is also not a finding that he was correct to allow it to continue. I am unable to make a finding on the evidence before me about whether the match should have been called off,' said the coroner. Kain Parsons with his three children. Photo / Supplied Legislative repeal The coroner's findings recommend the proposed repeal of the Boxing and Wrestling Act 1981 and the Boxing and Wrestling Regulations 1958 and that the Department of Internal Affairs reviews the legislative framework and regulations. It suggests the review should include the 'specific context' of corporate boxing 'to help achieve consistency and a single national standard'. 'Such review might include whether there is a need for a single central body to manage corporate boxing. The specific context of corporate boxing includes relatively novice fighters participating in a specialised sport generally known to carry inherent risks and as such subject to a legislative regime,' said the coroner. In a statement, Minister for Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden said the act is outdated. 'Any death from combat sports is an avoidable tragedy that nobody wants to see happen in New Zealand. My thoughts are with Mr Parsons' family and friends during this difficult time. 'The Boxing and Wrestling Act 1981 is proposed to be repealed because it is outdated and only applies to boxing and wrestling associations; it does not cover other popular forms of combat sport, such as mixed-martial arts or variations of combat sport that carry greater risk. 'It is preferable to have one clear and modern legislative framework for all combat sports. Sport NZ are the lead co-ordinating agency considering current issues with combat sports, including a potential government response, and DIA are supporting them with this along with other relevant agencies. 'The repeal of the Boxing and Wrestling Act is proposed to be done through the Regulatory Systems (Internal Affairs) Amendment Bill which will proceed to select committee later this year. The public will be able to have their say during this process.' The Government's involvement is welcomed by Parsons' family – though Gascoigne is extremely cautious with her optimism. 'That will take many, many months if not years to come to fruition. And it will only come to fruition if all parties are prepared to tackle it with care, with duty of care in mind. And after what I saw in that court, I have no confidence that that will happen,' she said. The Parsons family: Kain, Alana and their three children. Kain suffered a severe head injury during the 2018 Fight for Christchurch charity boxing event. Photo / Supplied Coronial delay The coroner acknowledged the length of time between Parsons' death and the beginning of her inquest. 'Mr Parsons died in early November 2018 and the inquest took place approximately six years later. I became the coroner responsible for the inquiry into Mr Parsons' death in June 2021. As the inquiry has progressed, there have been various reasons for delay, largely relating to engaging expert witnesses and securing a courtroom for the inquest hearing. The time it has taken to reach the inquest is very regrettable,' she noted. The delay has made the grieving process difficult for Parsons' family. 'The delays and delays and delays don't allow the normal healing processes to occur because you're always waiting for something to happen,' says Pete Benny. 'A year or so ago, we kind of were in quite a good spot. We were sort of trying to move forward. This brings it all back again,' Alana added. His mother Gascoigne said it also impacted the inquest itself, saying that the coroner referred 'many times to the fact that it had been a very long time'. 'We did finally get an outcome, but then it was all around the length of time and the evidence that was available and 'I can't rule on that evidence because it's taken too long' and 'that evidence is no longer available to me' or whatever the case may be. I believe that we would have had a much firmer outcome had it been addressed earlier,' she said. Gascoigne believes the inquest was only heard last year because of steps the family themselves took to push it along. 'I know I'm highly emotive, but I feel that the justice system in the length of time it took to get here, and the only reason it did was because we as a family hired counsel to get them to bring it to the forefront,' said Gascoigne. 'It's been such a drawn-out process really, so it's tiring and it's still going, but I suppose in some ways there, there are things that will hopefully change how, you know, these fights are run,' says Alana Parsons.
