Jim Batcho’s Health Crisis in China
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Jim Batcho is a US citizen from San Francisco who, until last month, was teaching film studies at United International College in Zhuhai, China. On October 22, a colleague rushed Jim to the hospital with abdominal pain that has now been diagnosed as necrotizing pancreatitis – the most severe form of acute pancreatitis, and a potentially life-threatening condition. After 9 days in the hospital, Jim was released, only to return again 3 days later. He has been hospitalized ever since.
On November 10, Jim was transferred to ICU for 48 hours of Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy (dialysis). Unfortunately, it did not improve his condition the way we’d hoped. Doctors in Zhuhai tried all the treatments they knew of, none of them worked, and they essentially told him there was nothing more they could do for him. Additionally, the stay and treatment in ICU used up most of Jim’s insurance. He has exceeded his limits in most of his coverage areas and is now paying out-of-pocket for everything.
Jim is currently not strong enough to withstand a long trip to the US. Thankfully, his employer in Zhuhai arranged (and paid) for him to be moved to a private hospital in Hong Kong on November 15. Although the facility is top-notch with significantly better care, it’s very expensive. His sister, Katherine, flew to Hong Kong on November 17 to advocate on his behalf, assist in decisions, and determine next steps.
We estimate that Jim’s out-of-pocket medical expenses will reach approximately $80,000 US dollars. Any help you are able to offer would be greatly appreciated. This has been a very difficult time for our family, especially being so far away. We are grateful to his friends, colleagues and the expat community who have helped him thus far, in looking out for him and communicating with the family when he was unable to do so. It’s uncertain what the immediate future holds, but we will post progress reports on this page.
Thank you so much!
On November 10, Jim was transferred to ICU for 48 hours of Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy (dialysis). Unfortunately, it did not improve his condition the way we’d hoped. Doctors in Zhuhai tried all the treatments they knew of, none of them worked, and they essentially told him there was nothing more they could do for him. Additionally, the stay and treatment in ICU used up most of Jim’s insurance. He has exceeded his limits in most of his coverage areas and is now paying out-of-pocket for everything.
Jim is currently not strong enough to withstand a long trip to the US. Thankfully, his employer in Zhuhai arranged (and paid) for him to be moved to a private hospital in Hong Kong on November 15. Although the facility is top-notch with significantly better care, it’s very expensive. His sister, Katherine, flew to Hong Kong on November 17 to advocate on his behalf, assist in decisions, and determine next steps.
We estimate that Jim’s out-of-pocket medical expenses will reach approximately $80,000 US dollars. Any help you are able to offer would be greatly appreciated. This has been a very difficult time for our family, especially being so far away. We are grateful to his friends, colleagues and the expat community who have helped him thus far, in looking out for him and communicating with the family when he was unable to do so. It’s uncertain what the immediate future holds, but we will post progress reports on this page.
Thank you so much!
Organizer and beneficiary
Linda Batcho Christian
Organizer
Rosemont, CA
Jim Batcho
Beneficiary