Smith, who runs a fitness and nutrition business called Her Method, is being treated for meningitis and pneumonia, with fluid on her lungs. Accounts differ on the type of meningitis. Some reports say bacterial and viral. Others say doctors have not confirmed which it is and are treating it as bacterial as a precaution. Her time in intensive care is put at eight or nine days, depending on the account. One report says she was moved out of the ICU and then readmitted because of persistent pain, memory loss and light sensitivity.

The illness came on suddenly. Smith has described "extreme head pains, dizziness, slurred speech, slurred vision, and a severe sensitivity to light," along with the "worst headache" of her life, and said she could not get out of bed. She had been on a trip through Europe, including a "girls' trip," before spending time in Bali. She was first treated at a villa with an IV drip. When she worsened, an ambulance took her to Bali International Hospital, where she had a CT scan and intravenous antibiotics within hours. Her mother, Cass Smith, flew to Indonesia as soon as she heard the news. She said the speed of that care "probably saved her life."

Doctors have not found the source of the infection. Suggestions have included contaminated food, water she swam in, or another passenger on a flight. Smith said she has no idea how she caught it, given that she eats clean and moves daily. She has memory loss and trouble following or keeping up with conversations, and she said the language barrier in a foreign hospital added to the trauma. Brain swelling and concerns about cabin pressure mean she cannot fly yet.

Bacterial meningitis can kill within hours if it goes untreated. Most people recover with proper care, but complications can include seizures, coma and permanent disabilities.

The family has praised the Indonesian medical staff, who reached Smith within 10 to 15 minutes during serious declines. In her posts, which began with a TikTok video from her hospital bed on October 23, Smith has urged followers not to take their health for granted. "Life is so precious," she said. Hundreds have replied with messages of support. Her hospital bills are covered by travel insurance, a policy her mother insisted she buy before leaving Australia.