Help get Bob Allison home

On January 4th 2021, my dad Bob Allison suffered a severe and potentially life-altering stroke whilst living and working in Yangzhou, China. 

He has been working at three middle schools in Yangzhou for the last five years, following his retirement from his 40-year teaching career in the UK - first at Bishop Perowne and then as a much-loved geography/geology teacher and assistant headteacher at The Chantry School from 1983 -2016. 

Bob has always had an unwavering commitment and enthusiasm for teaching and is well-known and well-regarded by many in the Worcestershire area. Many Martley families and the catchment surrounding it will have been blessed with his care and knowledge in ensuring young students entered The Chantry School with confidence and support. He lives and breathes helping others, evident in his tenacity at raising not shy of £10,000 for the Mockingbird Trust when he was deeply affected by the tragic death of one of his students to brain cancer. 

Bob had been due to leave China for good and return to the UK in 2020, but unfortunately, due to Covid, his stay had to be extended. Over the last few months of 2020, his health deteriorated significantly, and he suffered from confusion and several accidents, culminating in this stroke at the very start of this year. 

Since January 4th, Bob has been receiving treatment at Yangzhou hospital, but despite two months of rehabilitation he is still unable to stand or walk independently, and the stroke has left him largely immobile in the left side of his body. He also has a worryingly high blood platelet count, leaving him at high risk of having another stroke. It is the recommendation of the Chinese hospital that he is transferred back to the UK as soon as possible in order to receive the best possible treatment. 

With borders currently closed and the Chinese Embassy not currently issuing entry visas, our best hope of getting him back to the UK is to go down an official repatriation route. However, with few commercial flights currently available and compulsory 14-day quarantine periods, this is likely to come at an extremely high price. 

Unfortunately, my dad’s employee insurance will not cover any repatriation costs, and is unlikely to cover much of his outstanding medical bills from the last two months owing to pre-existing medical conditions. Whilst we are yet to receive the final bill, his medical bills to date are in the region of £12,000 and the repatriation fees look set to be in the region of £30,000-£35,000, if not more. 

It is our utmost priority to get Bob home from China as soon as is feasibly possible and we would be immensely grateful for any donations to help contribute towards the medical bills and travel costs. 

In the event that donations received exceed the final bill, we would donate any surplus funds to the Stroke Association . 

Please help get my dad home. 

Claire Allison