I’m setting up this fundraiser on behalf of my mother, Fong Yi. She experienced a Hemorrhagic Stroke. We would like to pay for her medical bills and get her back home to Taiwan.
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Dear friends and kind strangers,
I’m setting up this fundraiser on behalf of my mother, Fong Yi. She experienced a Hemorrhagic Stroke in mid-November 2023 and woke up from a coma a month later. She was taken to a hospital in Indianapolis by helicopter and later was discharged back to Bloomington to start her rehab. After continuously combating the American healthcare system, she is currently placed in a nursing home to continue with her recovery.
Fong-yi went from living independently to now being wheelchair-bound and needing assistance daily. She went from a healthy individual to be disabled; the right side of her body is flaccid and has minimal vision from her right eye. She also has a heavy aphasia which makes it incredibly difficult for her to communicate with family and medical staff.
While we are grateful that Fong-yi is still alive, there are so many hurdles and challenges that we as a family have to overcome. We learned that Fong-yi never had insurance and was unable to receive government assistance, such as Medicaid or Medicare due to immigration status. We also learned that she has no income and is dependent on her youngest son to get by. In addition, because of language barriers and cultural differences, she has minimal support and friends in the area. Luckily, with the help of a friend's resources, Fong-yi was finally able to be insured through private insurance despite many rejections. However, the cost is significant.
Two months into Fong-Yi's recovery journey, she received numerous medical bills from insurance, hospitals, doctor visits, etc…Each bill adds so much weight onto the family's shoulders; the medical bills and advocating for Fong-yi’s recovery journey are already overwhelming, yet, this is just the beginning.
During her stay in the previous hospitals, we have witnessed how the American healthcare system treats immigrants. For example, she was malnourished, unclean, and isolated in one of the hospitals. They not only were unable to provide proper care but also unable to provide food that was healthy or culturally accommodating. Fong-yi had an extremely difficult time getting better initially and wasn’t able to communicate her needs due to aphasia and a language barrier. However, within these two months, Fong-yi was able to get back some motor functions, but the progress was slow.
As a family, we decided that we want her to have a happy, stress-free, and supportive life to continue with her recovery. With the current state of care and planning for the long run, we believe that it would be best to bring Fong-yi back to Taiwan to continue her recovery.
The cost of living is significantly lower in Taiwan with universal healthcare, and she will be able to afford her medical expenses and have some financial support from the Taiwanese government. In addition, they will be able to accommodate her diet and nourish her back to her feet. Most importantly, she will be surrounded by loved ones and those who speak the same language and will be able to reintegrate back into the Taiwanese community.
No matter how small each contribution is, it will make a significant impact on Fong-yi’s recovery. Your donation will help offset some medical bills and relocation funds for Fong-yi and her family through this stressful time.
On behalf of the family, I thank you for your time and donation and sincerely appreciate the kindness and generosity of friends and strangers who can help Fong-yi relieve medical debt, buy a ticket to go back to Taiwan and start a new life along with her recovery.
Paypal link.me: paypal.me/FongYiTang
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