Nai-Nai's Medical Fund

Hello.  My name is Alex and my wife is Linnea.  We are raising funds to help pay for my wife's foster grandmother (Nai-Nai)'s medical bills and the cost of her continued care.  

Nai-Nai suffered a crippling stroke on November 28, 2015.  She is paralyzed entirely on one side of her body, and is unable to speak or eat or care for herself.  She will be discharged from a Chinese hospital soon, but will need constant care 24-hours a day, 7 days a week.

Before I go further, Linnea and I would like to thank you for taking the time to read our story.  We understand that your time is precious, and we greatly appreciate that you have decided to read about our situation.

Goal:

We are looking to raise $6000 US to cover the cost of Nai-Nai's home care.  My wife estimates that it will cost 3000 RMB (Chinese dollars) per month for an unskilled nanny to feed, bathe, and otherwise take care of Nai-Nai.  That translates to roughly $500 US per month, or $6000 per year ($500 x 12 months).  

To put that number in perspective, Nai-Nai's daughter makes less than $400 US per month as a factory worker.   She works 10 hours a day, 7 days a week, and has a family to support.  As such, $500 US is an incredible amount for a Chinese family.

The doctors do not know how long Nai-Nai will live, but given her current state, our guess is that she may not live for longer than a year.  If she does, we will look for funding at that time.

Any remaining funds will go towards Nai-Nai's existing medical bills.  We have already paid close to $3000 US, and it costs about $1000 US per week in the hospital.  Additionally, there are additional costs of medications, which are being covered by us and family.

Should Nai-Nai pass within the next year, the funds will go towards the cost of her funeral.  Any remaining funds after that will be donated to an orphanage or an adoption agency.  Honestly, my wife and I haven't thought that far ahead.

Why?

I know you may be asking why you would want to help out a complete stranger with medical bills, so to answer that I would like to share why Nai-Nai means so much to my wife and me. 

Linnea is from China.  She was born some time in the summer of 1991.  We aren't sure exactly because no one iknows for sure.  Her parents abandoned her when she was about a month old.  While we don't know for certain, we suspect that her biological parents were unable to care for Linnea because she was born with a congenital heart condition called Tetralogy of Fallot.  Linnea was what was once known as a "Blue Baby".  Because her heart had a hole in it, her heart was unable to fully supply her body with oxygenated blood.  Thus, she had a blue hue to her skin.

Nai-Nai's job at the time was to raise abandoned children until they were old enough to enter the Chinese orphanages.  The Chinese officials who delivered Linnea to Nai-Nai told her that the baby didn't have a chance of surviving for more than a few months.  She was blue, after all.  Nai-Nai's neighbors, who were all experienced nannies, all agreed.  Everyone advised Nai-Nai not to spend a whole lot of time and energy on this blue baby.  It just wasn't worth the effort.

Nai-Nai, however, did not listen to them.  She gave Linnea the love and attention that only a mother can give a child.  She woke up when Linnea cried, and cry she did a lot.  Linnea didn't cry for long, though, because after a few minutes, she would pass out from the exertion. 

Nai-Nai didn't expect Linnea to survive for very long.  Who would?   She did all she could to make sure that Linnea's life as an infant was comfortable, knowing that Linnea would die within a few weeks.

Miraculously, Linnea thrived under Nai-Nai's care.  The weeks turned into months, and the months turned into years.  Nai-Nai was with Linnea every single day, ensuring that this young girl would enjoy life, how ever long that life might be.  



Finally, at the age of 5, Linnea received life-saving heart surgery to fix the hole in her heart, and soon after she was healthy enough to enter the local orphanage.

Linnea was adopted by a wonderful American family just short of turning 14.  During those nine years at the orphanage, she never forgot Nai-Nai.  Nai-Nai would visit Linnea at every opportunity, and the two remained very close even after Linnea moved to America.  She called Nai-Nai on a regular basis, and was able to make two trips back to China to see her.

Linnea and I married in 2013, and that Fall we went to China for the express purpose of seeing Nai-Nai.  I was amazed and honored to meet this woman who, in essence, had saved my wife's life.  Nai-Nai, who had quite literally nothing, spent years of time, energy, and money to make my wife feel loved.  She did not give up on my wife when everyone else did.  Had it not been for Nai-Nai's care over twenty years ago, Linnea would have died as an infant.


Linnea's dream had always been to somehow save enough money to move Nai-Nai from her ancient, sub-200 square foot apartment to a more modern accomodation.  Some place that actually has a shower and isn't so drafty that it can keep out the winter cold.  Some place with a refridgerator.  

Now, though, Linnea's dream is for a miracle, that Nai-Nai might make a full recovery, or at the very least,  that she might ease Nai-Nai's suffering and take care of her.

Thank you!

Linnea and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts for taking the time to read this.  Even if you do not wish to donate, we hope you will take the time to share this page with your friends and family, so that we may raise some funds to care for Nai-Nai during this very challenging time.

Thank you again, and God bless!