Abby Hartley helped by donors

Stuff reports:

Anonymous benefactors have paid the bill of about $170,000 so Hamilton woman Abby Hartley can be flown back to New Zealand from Bali, where she is in a coma.

National Party leader Simon Bridges said the New Zealanders who paid the invoice for the medical evacuation had approached him in the middle of last week, wanting to help. He contacted Hartley’s husband Richard and, during several conversations, was able to facilitate the payment.

Incredibly generous.

Hartley’s family has also raised $237,602 through a Givealittle page. Bridges said any of that Givealittle money left over would be used to reimburse those people who paid for the medical evacuation.

There was some uncertainty around Givealittle donations, and it took time to collect, Bridges said. Hartley would also be facing significant medical bills.

He wasn’t sure when the mother-of-two would return to New Zealand.

“There are medical issues about when safely and optimally Abby can go,” Bridges said. “I don’t know if that’s going to be sometime this week, or a bit longer.”

With the medical evacuation paid for, it would now only be the medical factors that would determine when she travelled.

Hopefully she can travel soon.