The family of a critically ill British teacher in China has spoken about their struggles to meet a £30,000 (US$37,000) medical bill.
Twenty-nine-year-old Sale, England, native Adam Henshall Jones collapsed while out shopping with his wife. Upon arrival at the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui, doctors discovered three blood clots in his brain. He had to undergo emergency brain surgery and is now recovering.
According to Adam’s attending physicians, the next few days are very critical, and it may take three months for him to recover from the surgery. Despite the surgery, there is still a chance that the illness could have long-term effects on his quality of life.
Prior to the incident, Adam had been complaining about severe headaches and migraines.
Because Adam had no health insurance and China has no counterpart of the UK’s National Health Service, he and his wife, Zhiyuan Geng, have to shoulder medical costs of up to £30,000 (US$37,000).
Adam’s parents, Carl and Karen, are making arrangements to travel to China to be by their son’s bedside as soon as possible. Meanwhile, the Henshall Jones family has launched a crowd-funding drive to help meet the fees, raising over £5,000 (US$6,150) in three days.
Kate Henshall Jones, Adam’s sister-in-law, said that their family is overwhelmed with the generosity of friends, relatives, and even total strangers.
Kate, the wife of Adam’s brother, David, told
ITV: “The recovery from this first operation is three months so you can imagine the spiraling costs his parents are facing. It’s a living nightmare for us all.
“It’s just a terrible situation. Adam and Zhiyuan had been saving to move back to the UK because they missed everyone so much. Now they are having to spend all their savings on Adam’s healthcare and it still won’t be enough. Carl and Karen have been overwhelmed by people’s generosity. They can’t believe how much has been raised in the last few days.”
Adam and Zhiyuan moved to China 18 months ago, where he worked as an English teacher.
Related stories:
Families of casualties in uninsured boat tragedy to receive government aid
Tesla sued over fatal car crash in China
Major insurers ramp up Zika coverage
