Amit Harjani cremated his father, Vashdev, at 10am today—still struggling to come to terms with the emotional and financial toll of the past few days.
Amid the grief, he has launched a Givealittle fundraiser to help cover what could be a $50,000 hospital bill following his father’s unexpected passing.
What began as a long-awaited family reunion for the Kiwi-Indian turned into an unimaginable ordeal last week, following his father's sudden hospitalisation and death.
Photo: Supplied
Vashdev had travelled to New Zealand with his wife from Gujarat in December 2024, marking the couple’s first visit in 11 years since Amit settled in New Zealand.
“Everything was going well when they first came. We were going to places…,” Amit told The Indian Weekender, recalling the moments they shared in the months leading up to the tragedy.
But on the evening of May 22, 2025, Amit returned home from work to find his father struggling to breathe.
“When I got back home from work at 7pm, I was shocked to see him,” he said.
Vashdev was rushed to Waikato Hospital and admitted that night, initially to the ICU and later to the cardiac ward. While his condition appeared stable on the second day, things quickly worsened.
“The doctors said it's not looking good,” Amit said. “I don’t know what exactly caused this.”
On May 28, at 7.50pm, Vashdev passed away due to heart, liver, and kidney failure.
“We knew he had underlying heart conditions, but his medications made him a normal man,” Amit said.
As he mourns the loss, Amit is also facing mounting hospital and funeral bills. His father was not a New Zealand resident and had no medical insurance.
According to Amit, the hospital has so far charged $20,000 for care provided from May 22 to May 24 alone.
The total cost—including ICU, cardiac ward, medications, and testing from May 24 to May 28—is expected to be between $40,000 and $50,000.
“Living paycheck to paycheck, I don't have any major savings,” Amit wrote on a Givealittle page set up to seek support.
“The hospital & funeral costs will be high for me to take care of,” he added.
“I request all of you who see this to donate whatever you think you can happily—any funds will help to recover from this financial burden.”
Visit Amit’s Givealittle page to support his efforts: https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/financial-support-towards-my-dads-hospital
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