A family who owe a charity group more than $500,000 have appealed to the public for assistance in their long struggle to repay the money.

Jemel Caines, 54, and Jill Thompson, 32, were forced to fly overseas after Ms Thompson, who was pregnant, desperately needed heart surgery.

After Ms Thompson gave birth to her second child, the couple found out that they had racked up a debt of about $575,000.

“It’s not easy,” Mr Caines admitted. “It’s a lot of stress. But we’re trying to keep our composure.

“Sometimes I feel depressed — very depressed — and I go through my moods. Sometimes I’m OK and sometimes I get depressed where I don’t want to do anything.

“Some days I feel right, some days I don’t.”

The couple, from Pembroke, said that Ms Thompson had started having heart problems soon after she became pregnant.

Mr Caines explained that Ms Thompson often found herself tired after walking short distances, which only worsened throughout her pregnancy.

Her symptoms became worse in January when she woke up with a heavy pain in her chest.

Mr Caines said: “It was like three o’clock in the morning and she was like ‘oh my chest, my chest’.

“I asked her, ‘what do you think we should do? Do you want me to call the ambulance?’ and she said ‘yes’.

“When he said ‘yes’, I thought this has got to be serious.”

Mr Caines said that a heart specialist at the hospital discovered that Ms Thompson’s heart rate was 200 beats per minute — more than double the average resting heart rate.

“The doctor told her ‘you’re going to have to go away and get this dealt with’,” Mr Caines said. “’You’re going to die or have a tremendous heart attack if you don’t’.”

Ms Thompson, who was seven months pregnant, had to be airlifted to Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston for treatment.

Ms Thompson also learnt that she was diabetic, which would require medication, and she gave birth to the couple’s second child.

The couple said that they cannot get a full breakdown of the cost because it could take as long as 12 months to get a complete estimate of all the charges.

But they added that the majority of the cost came from the operation, which cost about $500,000.

Other expenses included the delivery of their new son, which cost $75,000, and the medication bills for Ms Thompson’s heart treatment.

Mr Caines said that he paid the cost of an air ambulance with the help of his family, which came to about $3,500, but added that there was still more to pay.

Mr Caines said that his family turned to the Lady Cubitt Compassionate Association for help to pay their medical bills.

He said that the group agreed to cover the family’s bills while they paid about $400 a month.

But Mr Caines and Ms Thompson said that they were both unable to maintain stable work because of chronic injuries.

They added that they each received about $180 a month in financial assistance.

The couple received a temporary charity licence in May that expires in August, but admitted that, so far, they have struggled to successfully raise any money.

The family also admitted that the stress of the more than $500,000 bill hovering over their heads had caused them a lot of anxiety and hopelessness.

Ms Thompson explained: “I feel depressed sometimes.

“I just wish that we can get some type of help.”

As of this week, a total of £1,485 had been raised through a campaign through the crowdsourcing website GoFundMe.

Marisa Howard, the executive director of the LCCA, said that she could not confirm the amount that the family owed because the organisation did not comment on others’ accounts.

But she explained that the LCCA’s policy was to offer an interest-free loan covering 40 per cent of the costs while a guarantor, such as third party health insurance, covered the rest.

She added: “We try to help people who need assistance.

“Medical situations, they happen fast. It’s not like it take four months. Usually you come in on Monday and by Wednesday you’re gone.

“It’s not the most ideal situation, but for some folks we’re the only people who will help.

“In order to get a loan from us you have to have a guarantor. They have guarantors that should be helping them pay this bill.”

• Those who are interested in supporting Jill Thompson can make donations through her approvedGoFundMe link