My name is John Kim and I have been going to Central Asia for the past six years with our church's short term mission teams, . Our church, Abundant Life Community in San Diego, California, partners with local United Methodist Churches in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan to provide various programs and services. One of things we do is to help to run an English-language retreat for medical students studying in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The students are primarily from India. This is how I met Soumya, who is studying to become a doctor at the International School of Medicine in Bishkek and attends Bishkek United Methodist Church. Outside of meeting once a year at the retreat, we've also kept in touch through social media. Over this time, Soumya has been developed chronic tremors in her body that can eventually regress into seizures. The condition has worsened over time. I was present on March 10, 2020 when she lost consciousness due to seizures and was hospitalized. Due to the discrimination of foreigners in Bishkek, Soumya was not able to receive adequate care and as her condition worsened, she decided to fly back home to India to seek medical treatment. She is now in India but the current COVID-19 situation has complicated her admittance into a hospital since she is a traveler from a foreign country.

As a medical student from a modest family studying abroad, the mounting travel and medical costs will be difficult to manage. The burden of this cost as well as the illness itself is threatening Soumya's once bright future as a medical doctor.

I would like to assist my dear friend in need by collecting as much money as possible to help offset her expenses. The initial goal has been set at $5,000. 100% of the collected funds (outside of any fees that GoFundMe charges) will be sent to Soumya. In addition to financial donation, prayers for her to find admittance to an appropriate medical facility in India would be greatly appreciated.

If you are interested in hearing the testimony that Soumya gave at Bishkek UMC in 2019 before her condition started worsening, I've uploaded it to Youtube and can be watched using the following link:

https://youtu.be/RYx14lTyCHA

Soumya is a beautiful, gracious and caring young lady and has a bright future ahead of her. With our help, I believe we can ease her worries, assist in her recovery and help send her back on the path of becoming a doctor. Thank you so much for your support!