Help Julien get Surgery After a Life-Changing Accident

Hi, I’m Julien.

Two years ago, I fell 10 meters while traveling in Thailand, breaking 19 bones and nearly losing my life.

Doctors told me I’d never walk again. But I did.

I survived six days in an abandoned hospice, two 23 hours-long surgeries, and 9 months in a wheelchair. I relearned how to move, sit, and walk — step by painful step.

Now I’m facing one final surgery: to remove the metal implants that once saved me but now cause chronic pain, nerve damage, and physical limits I live with every day.

No insurance. No aid. Just me - and the people willing to help.

If you’ve ever come back from something the world said you wouldn’t…

I hope you’ll take a moment to read my story.

It is with great vulnerability and an open heart that I come to share my story with you. Asking for help like this is not something I ever imagined doing. But I’ve come to a point where I truly can’t do this alone - I’m turning to my friends, my community, or anyone with whom these words may resonate.

Two years ago, while exploring Krabi in southern Thailand, I experienced a life-changing accident —I fell from a height of 10 meters (about 33 feet).

The impact was devastating and I was found with multiple fractures — 19 in total: pelvis, sacrum, hip, both legs, wrist.

I woke up in a rundown hospice, placed in a crowded, unhygienic room without intensive care, without water, food and was left there for 6 days — hovering between life and death.

Even though the French embassy issued a written declaration stating that my life was at risk, no action was taken. Locally, no one was equipped or willing to intervene, and the travel health insurance I had taken out for this trip flat-out refused to help me.

What kept me alive during those six days was the kindness of a complete stranger — a woman visiting her family who saw me, stopped, and chose to act.

She washed me, brought me food, gave me water and without her, I truly don’t know if I would have survived. I will never forget her.

After long and unbearable days of waiting, I was finally transferred to the Bangkok International Hospital — only thanks to the persistence of my loved ones back in France fighting with the insurance company day and night.

There, doctors immediately confirmed the urgency of a life-saving operation, but faced with the cost of surgery, the insurance once again refused to approve it.

They even attempted to repatriate me in this state just to avoid the costs.

Twice, medical transport teams were sent to fly me home.

Twice, they refused — saying I wouldn’t survive the flight back to France.

Eventually, after 19 days in intensive care, under heavy sedation, and the tireless efforts of my friends and family, the surgeries were finally approved.

Each one lasted over 23 hours.

They rebuilt me with metal: rods, plates, screws — the only thing keeping me together.

Once stabilized, I was eventually flown back to France and spent the next 9 months in a rehabilitation center.

This time was probably the hardest of my life — I had to rebuild myself.

I was immobile, confined to a hospital bed and wheelchair, unable to perform basic daily tasks, unable to walk, wash, dress, or even feed myself.

After several months in the center and daily effort, the doctors were very clear: I would probably never walk again. 

But I couldn’t accept that!

Fueled by a deep love for life and faith in what others thought was impossible, I held on. And against all odds, I learned how to walk again. Slowly, step by painful step. But I walked — discovering what courage, patience, and resilience truly mean.

Today, the implants that once saved my life now limit it in painful and lasting ways. I live with chronic, debilitating pain every day.

The left side of my body is partially paralyzed, and I’ve lost much of the motor function in my hand. My left foot no longer moves at all due to severe neuropathic damage.

The metal in my body compresses my nerves, disrupts my sleep, and leaves me in a constant state of exhaustion.

As a result, my daily life is severely limited—every movement is a negotiation with pain, and my nervous system is stretched to its breaking point.

It’s left me trapped in a body that’s always hurting—where even simple movements feel overwhelming, it’s hard to put into words.

The removal of the surgical hardware from my body is not just important — it’s absolutely critical to my health, my mobility, and my future. Every day it remains inside me, it causes intense chronic pain, worsens nerve damage, and limits my ability to live a normal life.

For over a year now, I’ve sought help from top specialists across France and Europe. I’ve knocked on every door, shown every scan, explained every symptom but not one surgeon has agreed to take on the operation, let alone offer support for my recovery.

Some say it’s too complex. Others admit they simply don’t know how. And yet, they are all stunned by the precision of the work done by the Thai medical team.

A few have even told me that, had I been operated on in France, I might never have walked again.

I'm still in contact with the Thai surgeon who performed the original surgeries — a man who gave me a second chance at life. He’s ready to operate again, to remove the hardware and finish what he started.

But this time, I face it alone - No insurance, No financial aid. Only you, my support system - and this is why I’m reaching out today. The surgery I need costs close to €40,000, and I can’t cover it without help.

After everything I’ve been through — surviving the accident, learning to walk again — I never imagined I would be left helpless in my own country. That neither insurance nor Social Security would step in to help, even with clear medical evidence and the backing of social workers.

Asking for help has never come easily to me and is one of the most vulnerable things I’ve ever done.

It’s taken me a long time to find the courage to share this story publicly but others have inspired me with their honesty and vulnerability.

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for taking the time to read this.

Every donation, every share, every kind message means more than you can imagine - it really does!

With Love and all my Gratitude,

Julien