Seoul: A 4-year-old boy from Uzbekistan diagnosed with a serious brain and spinal cord infection has received lifesaving treatment in South Korea after receiving help from multiple people and organizations in the country.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the boy, identified as Im Ron-baek, arrived in South Korea in August after falling ill in his home country, where doctors diagnosed him with excess fluid in the brain and said he needed brain surgery. In a desperate attempt to seek another opinion, the boy and his parents headed to Korea, where he was diagnosed with Candida meningoencephalitis that required immediate surgery and treatment.
The boy underwent extensive treatment at Korea University Ansan Hospital in Ansan, just south of Seoul, as medical bills mounted over the months and his family could no longer afford them. With donations from Yonhap News Agency and another unnamed donor, the family was able to cover the expenses. Woori Bank opened an account for the boy's mother on humanitarian grounds so she could receive the donations. She had initially been unable to do so as she did not have an account due to her temporary visa status.
Immigration authorities also extended the visas for the boy's mother and grandmother on humanitarian grounds, allowing them to continue caring for the boy. The hospital also continued to provide treatment despite the family's inability to pay the medical bills.
Kwon Soon-gil, who heads a foreign residents support center in Ansan and helped the boy receive treatment, said he wanted to share the boy's story on Children's Day. "South Koreans saved a precious life," Kwon told Yonhap News Agency in a phone call Monday. "For Im Ron-baek, South Korea is like a second home. The child received the biggest present thanks to the love shown by our society."
Kwon, who met the boy last week, said the child has recovered enough to give him a thumbs-up at the hospital, with his mother telling him that the child has recovered enough to receive outpatient treatment. His family expects to return home in the near future.