Adun needs your help

Hello. My name is Suhana. My husband, Adun, 63, had a severe stroke on 1 December 2023. He was admitted to the ICU ward at the Monash Medical Centre in Melbourne, Australia. We are from Singapore and are in Melbourne on holidays, to visit our one and only child. Adun was admitted for a left thalamic haemorrhage with intraventricular extension. He was initially admitted to the ICU unit for more than 2 weeks while intubated. His current neurological deficits include dense right sided weakness of his upper and lower limbs.

We have travel insurance from Singapore but they refuse to cover the hospital fees. They considered this as a pre-existing condition even though the Monash doctors here have provided evidence that this is a brand new stroke and has no links to the previous one. The first stroke was a clot to the right side of his brain, which left him partially impaired onto the left side of his body.

He is currently stable but is still not conscious. He has yet to regain full consciousness since his stroke on 1st December 2023. In his current state, he is unable to eat, drink and is unresponsive to our attempts of communication. Even when and if Adun regains consciousness, his right side of the body may be fully impaired. Therefore, leaving Adun severely immobile.

Since his first stroke, in 2016, Adun has not been able to work and as his wife, I have been his full time carer and also not been able to work. Adun and I are both senior citizens and are living off our savings, and our only child does not earn anywhere near enough to be able to cover the tremendous costs involved in his hospital care, let alone Adun’s transport back to Singapore.

We are now drowning in severe debt from the hospital bills and are seeking everybody’s generosity and kind support. A day in ICU costs about AUD$6000 and a day in a normal hospital ward is AUD$2000. These do not include all the specialised tests Adun requires like x-rays, blood tests, CT scans, etc. He has already spent 16 days at the ICU ward and has been in the normal ward for 23 days and counting.

We intend to bring Adun back to his daughter’s home in Melbourne, but the costs itself also have its demerits. He will need a hospital bed with a pressure mattress, a special wheelchair, a floor lifter, round the clock care by 2 people, etc. There is no support from the Australian government as we are overseas visitors.

I am pleading for your help; financial or otherwise, and to also spread the message of our dear Adun’s condition to your family and friends.

May God bless and reward you for your contributions and prayers. Our family will be eternally grateful for your support.