• Casey Borell, 29, suffered a stroke on an Air New Zealand flight to New York.
• The plane was diverted to Honolulu, where Borell received life-saving surgery.
• A Givealittle page was created to help cover her medical expenses, as she’s uninsured.

The family of a 29-year-old woman who suffered a stroke mid-air at the start of a dream international holiday say they are “in shock” after she was left her partially paralysed.

The Air New Zealand flight from Auckland to New York last Friday was diverted to Honolulu for passenger Casey Borell to receive life-saving surgery after she suffered a haemorrhagic stroke hours into the flight.

In a terrifying turn of events for Borell’s family, the Manawatū-based woman started “overheating and being unresponsive”.

A friend travelling alongside her noticed the concerning signs and quickly alerted the cabin crew.

Borell’s aunt Lea Cairns said their family learnt about the plane’s diversion and the emergency surgery mid-morning on Friday.

A Givealittle page has been set up to help fund Borell's recovery as she does not have medical insurance in America.

“It’s just shock ... it’s been a bit of a whirlwind,” Cairns said.

“The plane was diverted to Honolulu and she was taken from there straight to the emergency department and immediately given surgery to insert a stent into her brain.”

The stroke had affected the left side of her niece’s body, leaving her with limited movement and making it difficult to swallow any food, Cairns said.

The two-week holiday to New York was a trip Borell had been saving for and “really excited” about for a long time.

The family were not yet sure who had provided medical attention to Borell on board the flight or how long into the flight it was when the stroke happened.

They had managed to have a brief phone call after the surgery with Borell, who was still “very sleepy” and recovering, Cairns said.

A Givealittle page created for Borell has been set up to help alleviate the financial pressure on the family as she is not covered by insurance for any medical treatment in America.

“This means the extensive cost of her surgery, ongoing hospital care and rehabilitation will be entirely out of pocket until such time she is well enough to travel home,” the family wrote on the page.

Earlier, Air New Zealand chief safety and risk officer Nathan McGraw confirmed flight NZ2 was diverted to Honolulu because of a medical emergency on board.

“As a result, NZ1 from New York to Auckland was cancelled due to the aircraft being out of position.

“Customers on both services were assisted with accommodation where required and re-booked to travel on the next available service.

“We apologise for the inconvenience this has caused and appreciate the patience and understanding of our customers.”