Bad news
All random ideas have just been lost. V received a phone call from some of our friends. The news is: Geoffrey, a guy I am very, very fond of - without his help V and I wouldn't even be together, let alone married - is seriously ill.
Three years ago he had Hepatitis B (it's endemic in China, as at least 10% of the population here is infected, so really the wonder is that he didn't get it before). Now he has liver failure, and requires an urgent liver transplant.
This is really awful news. Geoffrey's been living in Shenzhen for the last couple of years, so we haven't seen him for ages. We don't know how good the hospital he's in is (Chinese hospitals can vary considerably), we don't know how much the operation will cost (presumably it'll be a hefty chunk of money), we don't know how much medical insurance he has (quite possibly none, as HBV carriers in China are routinely discriminated against). All we know is that his university classmates are collecting money to help the family with medical costs.
Wikipedia tells me that the survival rate for liver transplant is 65%, but I presume that's from the better hospitals in the developed world. As I mentioned above, Chinese hospitals vary dramatically. The best can provide excellent treatment. We just have to hope (and pray) that he's in good hands. V's going to find out how we can donate money tomorrow. And that's all we can do.
Three years ago he had Hepatitis B (it's endemic in China, as at least 10% of the population here is infected, so really the wonder is that he didn't get it before). Now he has liver failure, and requires an urgent liver transplant.
This is really awful news. Geoffrey's been living in Shenzhen for the last couple of years, so we haven't seen him for ages. We don't know how good the hospital he's in is (Chinese hospitals can vary considerably), we don't know how much the operation will cost (presumably it'll be a hefty chunk of money), we don't know how much medical insurance he has (quite possibly none, as HBV carriers in China are routinely discriminated against). All we know is that his university classmates are collecting money to help the family with medical costs.
Wikipedia tells me that the survival rate for liver transplant is 65%, but I presume that's from the better hospitals in the developed world. As I mentioned above, Chinese hospitals vary dramatically. The best can provide excellent treatment. We just have to hope (and pray) that he's in good hands. V's going to find out how we can donate money tomorrow. And that's all we can do.