17-year-old collapses on graduation trip to Thailand from severe brain injury

AMARILLO, Texas (KFDA/Gray News) - A 17-year-old high school graduate collapsed on a trip to Thailand, where doctors found a severe brain hemorrhage that required two emergency surgeries.

Thalia, 17, had just graduated from Tascosa High School and was on a trip to Thailand before beginning a career in healthcare when she collapsed June 29, lost consciousness and began having seizures. Her family rushed her to an emergency room, where a CT scan confirmed the hemorrhage.

Thaila underwent emergency brain surgery, during which doctors placed a drain to relieve swelling. A second surgery was later performed to remove a piece of her skull to relieve pressure on the brain stem.

The 17-year-old’s family says her brain swelling has begun to improve, and she is opening and closing her eyes more consistently.

They are working to bring Thalia back to the United States but face two options: waiting until she is stable enough to travel — a process doctors say could take up to a month — or chartering a private medical jet, which would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

“We’re just taking it day by day, making sure she’s still stable, just counting down the days to where we’re able to take her home. You know, I mean, there’s so much that we can do at the moment,” said Thalia’s father, Andy Keopraseuth.

The family is already dealing with more than $30,000 in costs for seven days of hospital care in Thailand. The hospital has offered percentage discounts to help offset costs.

The U.S. Embassy in Thailand has responded and provided a small loan to the family; though the amount falls short of what has already been spent.

A GoFundMe has been set up to help the family.