After one bite of ice-cream, 46-year-old woman collapses and is now in vegetative state

Singapore — A woman collapsed after a bite of ice cream and is now in a vegetative state due to a cerebral haemorrhage.

46-year-old Sun Hong, a homemaker in Singapore, was immediately sent to a hospital after her collapse on May 30.

According to Shin Min Daily News, at around 8 PM, Sun felt rather warm despite having showered and decided to eat some ice cream to alleviate the heat. However, shortly after just one mouthful of ice cream, she started to experience intense pain in her head.

Sun immediately turned pale and was unable to speak as well. She then collapsed on the bed. Her husband, 47-year-old Ji Hong Biao who is working in the construction industry, immediately called for an ambulance and sent her to a hospital with the help of his co-workers.

While Sun survived the ordeal, the doctor said that a cerebral haemorrhage had occurred near her brain stem which made it difficult to operate on her. He added that Sun Hong would need to rely on her willpower in order to recover.

If worse comes to worst, she could remain in a vegetative state since the chances of recovery are low for her. At the moment, her chances of recovery are said to be almost negligible.

Sun is currently relying on assisted ventilation and also needs an IV drip for nutrition in order to be kept alive. She is unable to speak and can only react to others by blinking her eyes. She is also constantly plagued with fevers.

Ji mentioned that Sun had always been healthy and does not have any hereditary diseases.

After the incident, he makes a visit to the hospital every day during lunch and after work to see Sun. He hopes for a miracle and swears to look after her for as long as he lives.

However, the couple’s situation has been exacerbated by the hospital bills which have gone past $40,000 after a mere two weeks. While the hospital has offered a grace period for payment to the couple, it is not sustainable and possible in the long term.

Ji is planning to return to China once Sun’s condition improves because her insurance there could help to ease financial burdens.

However, this may prove to be another complication for the couple since medical air transport typically costs between $50,000 to $80,000 which they have difficulty paying for.

Their 24-year-old son has left his job in China and moved to Singapore on Jun 16 to take care of his mother who he had not seen in approximately two years.

Brain haemorrhages normally occur because of accidents, brain tumours, strokes, or high blood pressure caused by other health conditions.

You Zi Xuan is an intern at The Independent SG.

/TISG