SG family appeals for help with $60K hospital bill of helper severely disabled after a stroke

Singapore—A netizen who goes by the name Tsukiko Reikan on Facebook shared that “2021 has started out to be one of the worst years in my entire life, feeling like my foundations of my life have been uprooted and completely flipped upside down.”

Part of what the family is facing is the severe illness of their longtime helper, who suffered a major stroke in January and has been in hospital ever since.

Unfortunately the stroke left Ms Papin, age 63 and a Filipino national, severely disabled.

“She is unable to walk, is on a feeding tube, and can barely talk or move most of her limbs,” wrote Ms Tsukiko.

The helper has been with her family for over three decades and is like a mother to her.

“I don’t know where I would be without her. It completely breaks my heart to see her in this state,” she wrote.

“She is a wonderful person who showered me with love and care throughout my life. I still recalled her buying me a nintendo ds when I was young because I really wanted one, despite it being almost her whole month’s salary cost.

I love her dearly…We hope to be able to provide her with the best care we can right now, allowing her to return back to her hometown one day when she is better.”

Ms Papin suffered a setback to her recovery when she had a second stroke three weeks after the first one, which erased the progress she had made.

As the helper is neither a Singaporean nor a Permanent Resident, she is not qualified to avail of subsidies from the Government for her hospital bill, Ms Tsukiko wrote in her Apr 1 Facebook post.

To help her, the family set up a crowdfunding page on the GIVEASIA platform.

Ms Papin’s hospital bill, which is published on the page, has reached $61,325.

The family aims to raise $100,000, which will also take care not only of Ms Papin’s bills, but also care at the hospital rehabilitation centre in the immediate future.

They do not wish to repatriate the helper at the moment, given the high daily number of cases of Covid-19 in the Philippines. And it is better for Ms Papin to stay here, since rehabilitation services and facilities are “not readily available in the rural part of Philippines where she is from,” wrote Ms Tsukiko’s family.

So far, over 550 donors have given toward the fund they set up for Ms Papin, for a total of S$39,633.

Some commenters on the page have written why they donated:

“I felt for the family and how loving the maid is towards the family and also how the family is willing to foot the bill for the maid,” wrote one.

Another person wrote, “She reminded me of my own helper that took care of me since i was a baby till sec sch, they are like family.”

Those who would like to give may click on this page.

/TISG