WATCH: SA teacher in Vietnam seeks donations to help fiancé with medical bills

The lives of soon-to-be married happy couple have taken a sour turn while far away from home when Nonku Mdlalose’s fiancé collapsed at home after work.

In a heart-wrenching plea for help, the 31-year-old South African national teaching English in Vietnam, took to TikTok on Wednesday to seek urgent assistance for her fiancé and fellow SA teacher, Audio Fynn, who was hospitalised after experiencing a severe asthma attack.

Despite their efforts to manage his condition, the fiancé collapsed due to a malfunctioning inhaler, leading to a life-threatening anaphylactic shock.

Fynn was rushed to hospital where he has since undergone various medical procedures.

Anaphylaxis is a severe allergic reaction that can be life-threatening and requires immediate medical attention.

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The gravity of the situation is further exacerbated by the couple’s financial constraints, as they have already depleted their life savings to cover a portion of the mounting medical bills.

“We were advised to transfer him to Vinmec hospital because the cheaper hospital we had sent him to did not have the technology or the expertise to keep him alive,” cried Mdlalose.

Upon their arrival to Vinmec, Fynn was put in a medically induced coma due to swollen lungs and a closed throat.

Furthermore, Mdlalose explains that both their families and colleagues had ran through all the resources they could to keep Fynn alive.

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Embassy

Speaking to The Citizen, Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) spokesperson, Clayson Monyela confirmed that the South African embassy in Vietnam had been in contact with Mdlalose.

Monyela highlighted that South Africa much like other governments does not offer financial assistance for South Africans who are abroad, whether they were abroad for leisure, studying or working.

“The consular assistance that the embassy provides to citizens in foreign countries when they are in distress [this is the keyword] is always non financial. This is the policy of every government in the world.

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“This is why every country will encourage its citizens to always have travel insurance, medical insurance and any type of insurance they may need, if they are to travel abroad,” he added.

Insurance

Trying to gain the public’s trust, the teacher uploaded videos depicting medical bills, answering frequently asked questions (FAQs) and a snippet of her fiance still under critical care.

One of the frequently asked questions the teacher answered was whether she and her fiance were covered by any health insurance, to which she affirmed that they are covered.

However, Mdlalose explained that the health insurance in Vietnam works differently from South African health insurances.

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“Here you claim… you take all the receipts from the hospital after he has been discharged and you go put in the application at the office,” she added.

Moreover, the teacher elaborated that the health insurance they are covered with would not release enough funds to cover all the hospital bills they owed.

Since sharing her story on TikTok, Mdlalose has received an outpouring of support from various individuals.

Nonetheless, with mounting medical bills and ongoing treatment costs, Mdlalose and Fynn’s family are still reaching out to the global community for financial assistance.

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Many people have expressed their sympathy and concern, acknowledging the couple’s difficult situation.