Help with Medical Debt for Husband Ben Killed in Peru

On September 25, 2024, my beloved husband and best friend, Benjamin Jung, passed away after an agonizing almost three-year battle in a vegetative state. My heart is shattered beyond words. Over these years, I have lost everything – my home, savings, retirement, cars, and now the love of my life. Ben was my world, my anchor and my joy. Whether we were working, making music, exploring our hobbies or volunteering, we shared every moment together. Our friends lovingly called us “Bemily” because we were united in love and purpose in everything we did.

In December 2020, we traveled to Peru to volunteer at an orphanage devastated by COVID-19. When the country went into lockdown, we chose to stay, pouring our hearts into helping the children who had lost so much. But in January 2022, everything changed. Ben was brutally attacked and robbed outside the orphanage, leaving him with broken bones, collapsed lungs and severe brain damage. He spent months in a coma, clinging to life, while I lived on the streets outside the hospital, fighting to save him. The conditions in the Peruvian hospital system were unimaginable. Every day, I had to personally provide all of Ben’s supplies — medications, needles, water, and even the tracheotomy kit. Navigating developing-world healthcare was a nightmare I never expected to face.

For almost three years, I fought for Ben. The medical costs have exceeded $500,000, and I spent everything I had to ensure Ben received the care he deserved. The financial toll has been devasting. However, I am grateful for one thing: Ben spent his last years in a loving, family environment. I was privileged to be by his side daily, holding his hand and ensuring he was treated with dignity and tenderness. As heartbreaking and exhausting as it was, caring for him taught me the true meaning of ‘in sickness and in health’ and the depths of sacrificial love, a love that strips you bare. Minimizing his suffering is an honor I will never regret.

Now, I face the unbearable reality that Ben is gone. His suffering is over, but mine continues. My heart aches with grief, and I am crushed under the weight of overwhelming medical debt. I want the world to know Ben’s story — his kindness, generosity and unwavering dedication to helping others. He dedicated his time and energy to improving the lives of the children in Peru, reflecting God’s love in action.

But I cannot face this burden alone. I am asking for your help to rebuild after losing everything. Your donation will help me cover the immense medical debt left behind after Ben’s care, enabling me to begin picking up the shattered pieces of my life.

Please consider donating, sharing our story, and praying for me. Any contribution, no matter the size, will help lift the crushing weight of this debt and bring me one step closer to healing from this profound loss. God has carried me through the darkest times during the last three years, and I know His faithfulness will continue. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your kindness, love and support. May God bless you richly for your generosity.

Love,

Emily