Tim's medical bill wipe out
Donation protected
Dear friends.
I need your help. I am an expat Australian who moved to Hanoi, Vietnam, a few years ago to set up my retirement and, after a few bad investments, became involved with Animals Asia, which is rescuing moon bears from bile farms in Vietnam and trying to end the practice of eating dogs.
It’s a good cause. Mostly volunteers, with vets and locals on hand to rehabilitate the bears from years of confinement to tiny cages, unable to move, poorly fed, many sick from having a tube shoved in them to milk their bile, which is one of those “traditional medicines” like tiger bones and rhino horn, and elephant ivory.
Animals Asia successfully lobbied the Vietnam Government to halt the trade in bear bile, and it has been slowly liberating these gentle animals, giving them a new home at a sanctuary near Ha Noi. It’s slow work. And expensive. I volunteer on the sidelines, helping to raise funds for their cause. It is fulfilling work.
Then, wham, I have a near-fatal respiratory arrest, spend a month in a coma fighting for my life. A tracheotomy saved me from dying in the street. His chances don’t look good, the doctor told my medical proxy, and I later learned friends from around the world came and held my hand and wished life back into me. Eventually I woke up and began four months of in-patient care. The upshot is, I am recovering, though my wasted legs are taking their time regrowing muscle lost during so much bed confinement. I was also handed a staggering medical bill of $200,000, which, with no health insurance, has wiped me out.
Even after emptying all my bank accounts, maxing my credit cards, and selling almost everything I have, I am short by $40,000. Can you help, or pass this on to someone who can come to my aid?
I have negotiated with the hospital, but health care is a business and they have given me only a short window to settle up before legal action is taken, which would ultimately lead to expulsion from a country I have grown to love. It would also end my plans and ability to help Animals Asia in its valuable work.
The Australian Embassy helped get my passport back from the hospital, but doing a runner isn’t an option because (a) it is dishonourable; and (b) I have commitments and relationships here I want to maintain and uphold, especially concerning the bears and the dogs. I have taken on freelance work – I was a journalist – but that barely scratches the surface. This is a developing country, labour is cheap, and good journalism is dead.
Right now, I urgently need to pay my medical bills to try to get back on my feet, keep my Vietnam visa and get back to the moon bears and the dogs.
Can you help? Thank you for taking the time to read this call.
I need your help. I am an expat Australian who moved to Hanoi, Vietnam, a few years ago to set up my retirement and, after a few bad investments, became involved with Animals Asia, which is rescuing moon bears from bile farms in Vietnam and trying to end the practice of eating dogs.
It’s a good cause. Mostly volunteers, with vets and locals on hand to rehabilitate the bears from years of confinement to tiny cages, unable to move, poorly fed, many sick from having a tube shoved in them to milk their bile, which is one of those “traditional medicines” like tiger bones and rhino horn, and elephant ivory.
Animals Asia successfully lobbied the Vietnam Government to halt the trade in bear bile, and it has been slowly liberating these gentle animals, giving them a new home at a sanctuary near Ha Noi. It’s slow work. And expensive. I volunteer on the sidelines, helping to raise funds for their cause. It is fulfilling work.
Then, wham, I have a near-fatal respiratory arrest, spend a month in a coma fighting for my life. A tracheotomy saved me from dying in the street. His chances don’t look good, the doctor told my medical proxy, and I later learned friends from around the world came and held my hand and wished life back into me. Eventually I woke up and began four months of in-patient care. The upshot is, I am recovering, though my wasted legs are taking their time regrowing muscle lost during so much bed confinement. I was also handed a staggering medical bill of $200,000, which, with no health insurance, has wiped me out.
Even after emptying all my bank accounts, maxing my credit cards, and selling almost everything I have, I am short by $40,000. Can you help, or pass this on to someone who can come to my aid?
I have negotiated with the hospital, but health care is a business and they have given me only a short window to settle up before legal action is taken, which would ultimately lead to expulsion from a country I have grown to love. It would also end my plans and ability to help Animals Asia in its valuable work.
The Australian Embassy helped get my passport back from the hospital, but doing a runner isn’t an option because (a) it is dishonourable; and (b) I have commitments and relationships here I want to maintain and uphold, especially concerning the bears and the dogs. I have taken on freelance work – I was a journalist – but that barely scratches the surface. This is a developing country, labour is cheap, and good journalism is dead.
Right now, I urgently need to pay my medical bills to try to get back on my feet, keep my Vietnam visa and get back to the moon bears and the dogs.
Can you help? Thank you for taking the time to read this call.
Organizer
Tim Cribb
Organizer
New South Wales
