Please help Jake recover from his coma

Dear kind friends,

I hope this message finds you well. It's with a heavy heart that I reach out to you today. My name is Benjamin, and I'm writing to you as Jake's brother, sharing a story of unexpected challenges and asking for your support during this trying time

Towards the end of November, Jake, my brother, embarked on a trip to Taiwan with some friends. Unfortunately, on the first night in Kaohsiung, he fell into a hypoglycemic coma. The situation was dire, and Jake was found unconscious, covered in what seemed like blood. His friends rushed him to Kaohsiung Municipal Ta Tung Hospital, where he spent three agonizing weeks, completely unconscious, battling severe health complications. He was diagnosed with multiple severe health conditions including Hypoglycemia, Hypoglycemic Encephalopathy, Acute Respiratory Failure, Acute Kidney Injury, and sepsis related to Community-Acquired Pneumonia. Additionally, he faced challenges such as Urinary Tract Infection, Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding, and Acute Pulmonary Edema.

He left Taiwan in good health, but when I saw him next, he was connected to numerous tubes, unable to breathe independently, relying on multiple machines to sustain his life.

The medical bills from this period in Taiwan amount to SGD$28,116.63 (NTD $656,550), averaging about SGD 1,338 per day. This doesn't even include additional expenses for necessities like hair washes, new breathing tubes, or our stay in Taiwan, which added to the financial strain. I'm reaching out because, as a family, we're facing a significant financial burden that we simply can't handle alone. In addition, we had to arrange for an air ambulance to bring him back to Singapore as we simply could not afford the medical fees in Taiwan anymore.

To provide some context, our family has been dealing with a tough situation since last year. Our parents went through a difficult divorce, and Jake, along with our sister, had to pool their resources to purchase our family home in October 2022. This placed a considerable financial strain on us. Jake took on a lot of responsibility during this time, but due to some circumstances, we're unsure about the details of his financial commitments.

To contribute to our family's finances, my sister and I have taken up part-time jobs as bicycle delivery riders. It's physically demanding work, and I'm already dealing with a long-term shoulder injury that requires an upcoming MRI in January, adding another layer of stress.

Our mother, aged 61, works in retail but is facing chronic lower back pain, which may lead to more medical bills. On the other hand, our father, aged 65, recently lost his job and is actively seeking new employment. He had to borrow money from relatives to help cover the air ambulance cost, and he's now under the pressure of repaying those funds.

Jake is currently in the ICU at Singapore General Hospital. While there have been some positive signs in his blood test reports, his MRI Brain scan reveals concerning changes. We're anxiously awaiting the neurologist's update to understand the full extent of his condition.

The cost of Jake's stay in SGH's ICU is approximately SGD$ 426 per night (after government subsidy), excluding additional medical procedures. The uncertainty of Jake's hospitalization duration, ranging from 3 months to a full year, adds to the growing financial burden.

I'm reaching out to you today, not only to share our story but to ask for your support. Your generosity can make a significant difference in Jake's journey to recovery and help ease our family's financial strain.We are uncertain of what the future might look like but we are praying for the best outcome.

If you're unable to contribute financially, we completely understand. However, sharing this message with your network would mean the world to us. Your support, in any form, is invaluable, and we express our deepest gratitude for considering our plea.

Thank you for reading and standing with us during this challenging time.

With heartfelt appreciation,
Benjamin

亲爱的读者们，我向你们发出紧急的求助。

在11月底，我的哥哥与几个朋友一起去到台湾。一切进行得很顺利，直到在高雄的第一个晚上，我哥哥陷入了低血糖引起的昏迷状态。他的朋友发现他在酒店床上失去知觉，口中和衬衣上有似乎是血的呕吐物。他立即被送往最近的医院，高雄市立大同医院。

当我们从医院得知这个消息时，我们立即乘搭飞机赶到台湾，发现他正处于在昏迷不醒的状态中。

我哥哥在高雄医院住了大约3周，之后我们安排把他空运回新加坡。在他住院的期间，他一直处于在昏迷不醒的状态。我们不能立即将他转回新加坡，因为他有健康问题需要在医院进一步调查和治疗。他患有急性肺炎所以接受了为期两周的抗生素治疗。

在这段时间里，他还患有急性肾衰竭、呼吸衰竭和在台湾时显示出的脑肿胀的迹象。对我和我的家人来说，看到哥哥从健康和活力到下一刻陷入昏迷，挣扎着维持生命的模样，这是一段极为痛苦的时期，很让人心碎。

在台湾30天住院期间，我们已经花费了惊人的28116.63新元（台币656550元），如收据所示。这平均每天约1338新元。这个金额不包括对医院的任何额外支付，包括给我哥哥洗头和购买新的呼吸管等服务。它还不包括我们在那里的饮食起居（3周），交通费，以及我们临时购买的机票等费用。

此后，我家人和我将他通过空中救护客机运送回新加坡，这本身就非常昂贵。空中救护客机本身的费用是38050新元。

我们已经耗尽了我们的生活储蓄支付了这些费用，不得不向亲戚和朋友借钱，只是为了支付医疗费用和空中救护运输费用。

我和我姐姐为了支持家庭的财务状况，也兼职了送货员的工作，踏着脚踏车。由于这份工作很费力，我们的工作时间受到了限制，导致我姐姐和我承受了身体疲惫和脚痛的问题。使事情变得更加复杂的是，我正面临着一项长期的肩部创伤，需要在明年一月进行MRI。那又是另一笔医疗费用......

在这些困难中，我母亲，61岁，在销售业工作，为家庭收入做出贡献，尽管收入不多。她目前也面临着长期的腰痛，可能会在将来产生更多的医疗费用或影响她的工作能力。另一方面，我父亲，65岁，不再与我们同住，最近失业，并积极寻找新的工作，目前没有任何收入。他还向亲戚借了一些钱，以支付空中救护的费用，将不得不把这些钱还给他们。

截至12月23日，我们已经在哥哥的医院账单和空中救护上支付了约66166.63新元。所有这些费用都不能用我国的保健支付，因为哥哥是在台湾昏迷的，保健只能用于国内的医疗费。

目前我哥哥被送到新加坡中央医院的加护病房。他的血液测试报告似乎表明有一些好转，尽管很小。然而，关于脑部MRI扫描，似乎注明了他的大脑发生了变化。我们仍在等待神经科医师的更新以获取更多信息。目前他仍然依赖着呼吸器，仍然没有恢复意识。

至于新加坡中央医院的医疗账单，每天的费用大约是1278新元。这将不包括对他进行的任何MRI扫描、X光、脑电图或心电图等检查。

我们希望这次紧急的呼吁能够触及到我们亲属、朋友和Jake的家人，以及那些有心捐赠任何金额来帮助我们减轻这场突发事件的财务负担，并帮助我们度过这个艰难时期。我们在此也恳请您帮忙分享这项筹款活动，任何筹款不关多或少，我们都很感恩，也永远感激不尽。