The Phil Fund
Donation protected
My brother and I are very close and it feels like we could be biologically related. I'm Pam, and am a Korean American-Canadian adoptee with an adopted brother (non-bio) named Phil, who is now living with his birth family in Korea.
Phil has stage 4 colon cancer.
This is me and Phil (2014)
He was diagnosed and treated while living in America 3 years ago, without health insurance and pre-Obamacare. As a result, he has an $80k medical bill if he returns. His birth family invited him to live together in Korea and have been supportive, though it has been a strain.
I went to see him in October, and a week after my return learned that his condition had worsened.
The hope for raising money is two-fold:
1) to alleviate his medical and daily living expenses: he cannot work very much while undergoing and recovering from treatment. Phil lives frugally but his monthly living expenses are approximately $1075/month, additional surgery will be $3500 and other palliative care costs will start at around $2000. His $80k medical bill from the U.S. is most likely going to result in a bankruptcy process so we're not immediately concerned about that cost.
2) to allow me to return to Korea to spend more time with him before his health deteriorates further: depending on how my work contract materializes. I hope to return anywhere from 3 weeks to 6 months. If the latter were to happen, I would try to find part-time employment (I have experience teaching ESL and editing), to cover as many expenses as possible (airfare, rent, phone and other daily living expenses). I estimate monthly living costs in Korea to be in the range of $1500 - $1700.
Phil's birth sister, birth mother and him
Phil has tremendous courage and hope, and is working very hard to maintain good health by eating well, taking supplements, being physically active, etc. He has been a very loving brother to me.
If you have read this much, thank you so much for your time and consideration, and THANK YOU for any support you can provide.
Please SHARE this with anyone you know.
(If you'd like to know more about his adoption situation, please read below the next photos.)
Pam
Phil's story before being adopted:
When Phil was 6 years old, his mother became ill and was admitted to hospital. His grandmother took care of him and his 2 siblings, but soon realized she could not handle taking care of 3 kids. She asked their father, who was separated from his mother at the time, to take care of Phil and his baby brother while she took care of his sister. Their father agreed and took the boys, and the very next day had his girlfriend take them to an orphanage: Phil went to the Holt adoption agency and his baby brother went to another adoption agency which nobody knows of. Phil can still clearly remember his father handing him off to this unknown woman, and being taken to Holt.
Once recovered and upon leaving hospital and arranging to collect her kids, Phil's mother discovered that the boys had been abandoned. She immediately went to Holt, but it was too late. The adoption agency would not give her any information about his adoption status. She continually went back to Holt and explored other avenues to try to find information on Phil, and finally after nearly 30 years was able to be connected. Phil has been reunited with his birth family since 2002.
He has also met his birth father who is married and has kids with his current wife, and refuses to provide any information on his younger brother. Through this campaign, we're also trying to find him through hopeful recognition of the photos.
Phil has stage 4 colon cancer.
This is me and Phil (2014)He was diagnosed and treated while living in America 3 years ago, without health insurance and pre-Obamacare. As a result, he has an $80k medical bill if he returns. His birth family invited him to live together in Korea and have been supportive, though it has been a strain.
I went to see him in October, and a week after my return learned that his condition had worsened.
The hope for raising money is two-fold:
1) to alleviate his medical and daily living expenses: he cannot work very much while undergoing and recovering from treatment. Phil lives frugally but his monthly living expenses are approximately $1075/month, additional surgery will be $3500 and other palliative care costs will start at around $2000. His $80k medical bill from the U.S. is most likely going to result in a bankruptcy process so we're not immediately concerned about that cost.
2) to allow me to return to Korea to spend more time with him before his health deteriorates further: depending on how my work contract materializes. I hope to return anywhere from 3 weeks to 6 months. If the latter were to happen, I would try to find part-time employment (I have experience teaching ESL and editing), to cover as many expenses as possible (airfare, rent, phone and other daily living expenses). I estimate monthly living costs in Korea to be in the range of $1500 - $1700.
Phil's birth sister, birth mother and himPhil has tremendous courage and hope, and is working very hard to maintain good health by eating well, taking supplements, being physically active, etc. He has been a very loving brother to me.
If you have read this much, thank you so much for your time and consideration, and THANK YOU for any support you can provide.
Please SHARE this with anyone you know.
(If you'd like to know more about his adoption situation, please read below the next photos.)
Pam
Phil's story before being adopted:
When Phil was 6 years old, his mother became ill and was admitted to hospital. His grandmother took care of him and his 2 siblings, but soon realized she could not handle taking care of 3 kids. She asked their father, who was separated from his mother at the time, to take care of Phil and his baby brother while she took care of his sister. Their father agreed and took the boys, and the very next day had his girlfriend take them to an orphanage: Phil went to the Holt adoption agency and his baby brother went to another adoption agency which nobody knows of. Phil can still clearly remember his father handing him off to this unknown woman, and being taken to Holt.
Once recovered and upon leaving hospital and arranging to collect her kids, Phil's mother discovered that the boys had been abandoned. She immediately went to Holt, but it was too late. The adoption agency would not give her any information about his adoption status. She continually went back to Holt and explored other avenues to try to find information on Phil, and finally after nearly 30 years was able to be connected. Phil has been reunited with his birth family since 2002.
He has also met his birth father who is married and has kids with his current wife, and refuses to provide any information on his younger brother. Through this campaign, we're also trying to find him through hopeful recognition of the photos.
Organizer
Pam Jost
Organizer
Vancouver, BC