Influencer Battles Critical Brain Infection in Bali ICU

WHO:

TMZ - Khiana Smith is a rising fitness influencer who posts on TikTok.

NY Post - Khiana Smith is a 23-year-old Gold Coast influencer.

Attack of the Fanboy - Australian fitness creator and online coach Khiana Smith uses the TikTok handle @khianasmith and runs the Her Method fitness and nutrition business.

Attack of the Fanboy - Smith’s medical team is treating her in Bali; she said the team is doing its best.

Attack of the Fanboy - The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describes symptoms commonly associated with bacterial meningitis.

WHAT:

TMZ - Smith is hospitalized in an ICU with a brain infection and said she felt “absolutely helpless.”

NY Post - Smith is in a Bali ICU after contracting bacterial and viral meningitis.

Attack of the Fanboy - Smith was diagnosed with bacterial meningitis and also has pneumonia and fluid on her lungs. The infection inflames protective membranes around the brain and spinal cord.

Attack of the Fanboy - Smith’s illness has affected her memory; she said she struggles to remember things.

Attack of the Fanboy - Smith was unable to fly home to Australia because of her condition and concerns about cabin pressure.

Attack of the Fanboy - After walking for the first time in more than a week, Smith said she felt slightly better. She urged followers not to take their lives or health for granted.

Attack of the Fanboy - The CDC says bacterial meningitis symptoms can include sudden high fever, severe headache, stiff neck, nausea or vomiting, sensitivity to light, and confusion.

WHERE:

TMZ - Smith is hospitalized in Bali.

NY Post - Smith is in an ICU in Bali.

Attack of the Fanboy - Smith became ill while in Bali and is receiving hospital care there; she wants to return to Australia.

WHEN:

Attack of the Fanboy - Smith had been bedridden in a Bali hospital for more than a week, including time in the ICU.

Attack of the Fanboy - Her symptoms began when she woke with “the worst headache” and could not get out of bed.

WHY:

Attack of the Fanboy - Smith said she does not know how she contracted the infection or why her condition worsened so quickly.

Attack of the Fanboy - She could not fly because of the brain infection and concerns about cabin pressure.

Attack of the Fanboy - Smith described a language barrier that made it difficult to understand what was happening with her condition.

HOW:

Attack of the Fanboy - Smith’s symptoms escalated to extreme head pain, dizziness, slurred speech, blurred vision, and severe sensitivity to light.

Attack of the Fanboy - An IV drip at her villa did not help; a doctor who examined her urgently called an ambulance.

Attack of the Fanboy - Smith said she had been healthy and traveling before becoming bedridden in the ICU with an infection she said could have killed her.

Attack of the Fanboy - Smith said she felt that her life was in other people’s hands without clear answers.

Attack of the Fanboy - Followers sent messages of support, including “Is there any talk of getting you home?” and “Things will change, sending you so much healing and love.”

(UPDATED November 1, 2026 22:01 UTC)

Australian fitness influencer Khiana Smith is hospitalized in a Bali intensive care unit with bacterial meningitis. She also has pneumonia and fluid on her lungs, and says the illness has affected her memory. Smith has begun walking again but cannot yet fly home to Australia.