02.11.2026 11:43
Khiana Smith, a 23-year-old Australian influencer, was admitted to intensive care after contracting meningitis in Bali, where she had gone on holiday. The young woman, who experienced memory loss due to the illness that began with a severe headache, developed swelling in her brain. Smith, who has not been allowed to return to her country, is still undergoing treatment.
23-year-old fitness trainer and content creator Khiana Smith, who lives in Gold Coast, Australia, went with her friends to Bali, Indonesia's world-famous holiday island after a two-week vacation in Europe.
However, the young woman's vacation turned into a nightmare due to suddenly emerging health problems.
Smith, who said she woke up one morning with an unbearable headache, said she initially did not think the discomfort she was experiencing could be so serious. However, over the following hours she began to experience dizziness, visual impairment, difficulty speaking and extreme sensitivity to light.
SHE COULDN'T EVEN GET OUT OF BED
Describing the frightening moments she experienced, the young influencer said, 'I don't know what happened. I really don't know. I woke up one morning and had the worst headache of my life. I couldn't even get out of bed.' As her complaints gradually worsened, Smith was given IV treatment at the villa where she was staying, but her condition did not improve.
Following this, the young woman was taken by ambulance to Bali International Hospital, where examinations detected meningitis and inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain.
TAKEN TO INTENSIVE CARE
After being taken to the hospital, Smith was placed under treatment in the intensive care unit and started on antibiotics against the possibility of bacterial meningitis. The young woman's health problems were later compounded by pneumonia that developed in the hospital and fluid accumulation in her lungs.
Smith, who showed some improvement during treatment and was taken out of intensive care, was readmitted to intensive care after severe headache and difficulty speaking reappeared.
SHE BEGAN TO EXPERIENCE MEMORY LOSS
One of the most striking effects of the illness was the problems that occurred in the young woman's memory. Smith stated that because of the memory loss she experienced, she had difficulty remembering some past events and continuing conversations.
The young influencer said, 'I have lost a large part of my memory. I am really struggling to remember things.' Doctors stated that due to swelling in her brain, air travel was not safe at this stage. For this reason, Smith has not yet been allowed to return to Australia.
HER MOTHER WENT TO HER SIDE ON THE FIRST FLIGHT
Cass Smith, the mother who learned that her daughter had been taken to intensive care, went to Bali on the first flight. Describing her fear, the mother said that learning her child was fighting for her life thousands of kilometers away was extremely shocking.
Cass Smith thanked the doctors, stating that the rapid intervention of healthcare workers at the hospital may have saved her daughter's life.
IT IS NOT KNOWN WHERE SHE CAUGHT THE DISEASE
Doctors have not yet been able to determine exactly how the young woman contracted meningitis. While different possibilities regarding the source of the infection are being evaluated, it is being considered that Smith may have come into contact with a microorganism that caused the disease during her travels. However, there is no confirmed finding that the infection resulted from contaminated water, food or air travel.
'IN AN INSTANT, EVERYTHING CHANGED'
The young influencer, who said she attached great importance to healthy eating and regular exercise, said that after what she experienced she realized how quickly her life could change.
Smith described her experience with the words: 'One moment I was healthy, traveling the world and living my dreams. The next moment I was in an intensive care bed in Bali with a brain infection that could kill me.'
Smith, who stated that she was able to start walking again after her treatment, expressed that her greatest wish was to return to her country and spend her recovery process with her family. As the young woman's treatment continues, her family hopes that her memory problems will not be permanent.