By Richard Tan
In mid-September, Gim Choon and I went on a conducted tour to Jiuzhaigou, China. We signed up for this tour at the invite of Bro Eric. This tour involved a substantial amount of walking and climbing. On the third day, Gim Choon could only walk half the distance and stayed with a few other ladies while the others continued. On the fourth and fifth days, she mostly stayed on the bus and only joined the group during mealtimes. She also had to use the portable oxygen on the bus – once on the fourth day, and thrice on the fifth day.
After dinner on the fifth day, she began to experience significant breathing difficulties. The hotel staff helped to drive us to the nearby Emei hospital. Joanne (my daughter) managed to get in touch with Gim Choon’s Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) doctor, who kindly agreed to brief the Emei hospital doctor on her medical history, even though it was late at night. We were later asked to transfer to the better-equipped Leshan Hospital, which was more than an hour’s drive away. Upon arrival, Gim Choon was placed in the emergency department, and on the respirator. Hours later, a computed
tomography (CT) scan was done and they warded her in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). She was in critical condition.
Due to the strict visitation policies, I was only allowed to visit her later in the afternoon that was when I better understood Gim Choon’s condition. She likely had a bacterial infection which had developed into pneumonia. Her TTSH doctor again kindly agreed to brief Leshan Hospital’s attending doctor, Dr Li. We thank God that her TTSH doctor went above and beyond the call of duty, and that the differences in language was not a barrier. That day, James flew up to Chengdu to join me.
We notified our travel insurance company and started exploring the possibility, risks and costs of a medical evacuation. Over the next few days, James and I visited Gim Choon every morning and late afternoon till evening. We’re especially thankful to Dr Li, whomade very special arrangements for us to visit outside the regular visiting hours. Also, Dr Li updated us regularly on Gim Choon’s condition.
It was only on the fifth morning in ICU that Gim Choon’s condition had a marked improvement and she started to breathe better, so they could start reducing the oxygen flow through the respirator. The next day, Dr Li was confident that Gim Choon couldmake the trip home. However, as GimChoon still needed nasal oxygen, we would still need to undertake a medical evacuation. Thank God that the CEO of the medical evacuation company knew my cousin who is an anaesthetist. That helped to facilitate the evacuation. We were also very surprised when my cousin volunteered to fly over to be the accompanying doctor – it was a great act of sacrifice, and gave us great comfort and assurance during a very difficult time.
As this was a medical evacuation, there were several procedures and approvals required, especially by the airline. Even though it was the weekend, we were able to receive the airline’s approval within 24 hours, when it would typically have taken three to five working days. The Chengdu SIA team was very helpful, and got the staff at Chengdu airport to assist us with immigration clearance, and even made arrangements for the ambulance to go all the way next to the plane for ease of boarding.
The 5-hour flight felt especially long given the heightened risks of flying and differences in air pressure for Gim Choon. Thankfully, Gim Choon was able to fly almost normally throughout the whole journey. Upon touching down, she was rushed to TTSH by a waiting ambulance. She was warded for the next eight days to treat the respiratory problem and pneumonia. Both Gim Choon and I, together with our children, would like to thank God for the following people who helped make our ordeal bearable:
• Hotel staff at Emei who rushed us to the nearby hospital.
• Local guide, Ah Yue, who accompanied us to Emei Hospital and then to Leshan Hospital. She also helped to book a boutique hotel about 500m away from Leshan Hospital. This saved us lot of time and it was very convenient to walk to/from the hospital and we could pick up the necessary stuff along the way from the nearby shops.
• Dr Li and her nurses at Leshan Hospital who looked after Gim Choon very meticulously.
• Gim Choon’s TTSH doctor who went out of his way to brief the Chinese doctors in both hospitals.
• Doctors and nurses in TTSH.
• Friends, relatives and church members and staff for their visits, prayers and concern.
• James’s former SIA colleagues and boss, and John’s colleagues, who assisted in getting the medical evacuation approvals.
Last, but certainly not the least, we thank our Almighty God for caring for Gim Choon, leading and guiding us to make multiple decisions along the way, and putting in place the right people who helped us greatly.
All praise and glory to God alone
Comments