Mildura grandmother Amanda Hibberd diagnosed with myocarditis

A Mildura family has banded together to help their mum as she struggles with health complications.

A Mildura family has banded together to help grandmother Amanda Hibberd, pictured with partner Richard, as she struggles with health complications.

The Mildura community has rallied around one of its own after a grandmother was rushed to hospital with a potentially deadly heart condition.

Amanda Hibberd checked into Mildura Base Hospital where doctors discovered her heart had an irregular rhythm that the local hospital didn’t have the resources to treat.

Ms Hibberd was flown by the Royal Flying Doctor Service to The Alfred in Melbourne and had a pacemaker installed before being sent home.

Back in Mildura, Ms Hibberd’s daughter Hayley noticed her mum “wasn’t looking right”, prompting the family to cancel a trip to Adelaide.

“I saw her on Thursday last week and she wasn’t looking the best,” she said.

“We were actually about to head off on vacation to Adelaide before my dad called me to say they had gone to the hospital”.

At 7am that Friday Ms Hibberd went into cardiac arrest at Mildura Hospital.

Ms Hibberd was initially taken to the Mildura Base Public Hospital

Ms Hibberd had one more cardiac episode before being sent back to the Alfred and put into a medically induced coma to help ease the stress on her heart.

Ms Hibberd was then diagnosed with myocarditis, a condition that weakens the heart making it more difficult to pump blood around the body.

Hayley said her mum was beginning to respond to treatment and doctors were going to try to wake her up in coming days.

“She’s still on the machines but she is responding to treatment and her heart is getting stronger, tomorrow they are going to do some more heart studies,” she said.

With Hayley’s dad unable to work and travel back and forth between Melbourne and Mildura, Hayley’s brother came up with the idea to start a GoFundMe to help with the family’s expenses.

“It was actually my brother’s idea and his partner being from regional Australia and having to travel to Melbourne,” she said.

“Times are tough for everyone, you barely make ends meet and this stretched him to a breaking point.

“We are just so blown away by everyone, family, friend, people just donating $10 or sharing it, obviously times are tough for everyone and we appreciate it so much.”

Hayley described her mother as a caring grandmother who would “give you the clothes off her back”.

“Despite her many years of being in her own very high level of pain most her life she is always willing to help out with her grandchildren,” she said.

Amanda’s GoFundMe has been able to raise more than $4500 in just a few days, thanks to the generous support of their community.