Working in a new job overseas can be an exciting venture for anyone to explore.
Unfortunately for 24-year-old Malaysian Ryan Chong, coming to Singapore to work apparently gave him so much stress that he suffered adverse health effects.
He is now in a medically induced coma and requires assistance with his hospital bill, which is estimated to be around S$73,000.
Source: GIVE.asia
His Singaporean girlfriend Vyvyan Lim has started a crowdfunding page on GIVE.asia in the hopes of gathering enough money to help cover the hefty expenses.
According to Ms Lim, Mr Chong had been working as an F&B management trainee when he fell ill.
Source: GIVE.asia
He first contracted a high fever on 11 Feb and took paracetamol to control his temperature.
A few days later, Ms Lim decided to send him to the hospital instead of celebrating Valentine’s Day as Mr Chong would fluctuate between feeling very cold and very hot.
The doctor conducted a dengue test on Mr Chong, which turned out to be negative. His fever subsided after taking ibuprofen.
However, things took a turn for the worse on 17 Feb when Mr Chong went to visit Ms Lim for lunch.
He suddenly fainted below her office, and Ms Lim brought him to the National University Hospital (NUH) for treatment.
Upon hospitalisation, Mr Chong had several seizures, prompting doctors to admit him to the intensive care unit (ICU).
They also put him in a medically induced coma to control his seizures and will not try reviving him until his brain waves have calmed down.
Source: 8world News
Speaking to 8world News, Ms Lim said that Mr Chong has an autoimmune disease that causes his own immune system to attack his body when he’s under too much pressure.
On the crowdfunding page, she stated that Mr Chong was stressed over several matters. This included his permanent resident (PR) application and a job with “long unhealthy working hours”.
She told 8world News that at work, he was required to stand for long hours with few toilet breaks in between.
As a result, he would sometimes come home unable to walk and also suffered from pain in his urethra.
Ms Lim first met Mr Chong when he came to work in Singapore in 2021.
Source: GIVE.asia
He initially worked as a security guard but switched jobs to a restaurant as he wanted to apply for PR status.
Due to a toxic work environment, he attempted to transfer to another restaurant. Unfortunately, a few issues with agents delayed the employment contract signing.
The situation caused him a huge amount of stress, leading to the deterioration of his health.
Since Mr Chong has not yet signed a new employment contract, his insurance company in Malaysia requires him to pay the medical bills before reimbursement.
The couple has yet to marry as well, so Ms Lim is unable to use her MediSave account to pay for the expenses.
On 6 Mar, Mr Chong was transferred from NUH to a hospital in Kuala Lumpur for further treatment.
However, 8world News reports that he has already racked up a medical bill as high as S$72,000, which Ms Lim hopes to settle through crowdfunding on GIVE.asia.
“He is only 24 years old with a bright future ahead and had no other particular illness prior to this,” she wrote on the site. “If his brainwaves [go] back to normal, [doctors] will let him wake up slowly.”
We just need to give him a chance to wake up to a bright future.
The two initially planned to register their marriage in September this year, but this tragic incident has left her at her wits’ end.
At the time of writing, she has managed to raise a little over S$48,000 out of her S$73,000 goal on GIVE.asia. If you’re able to donate, head over to the fundraising page here.
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Featured image adapted from GIVE.asia.
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