Taiwanese family returns to Okinawa to give thanks for help with expensive medical bills after giving birth prematurely on their honeymoon two years prior

Taiwanese family returns to Okinawa to give thanks for help with expensive medical bills after giving birth prematurely on their honeymoon two years prior

Returning to Okinawa as a family to give thanks for the help they received (from the left): mother Li-Shan, Chen Chun-hon, who was born in Okinawa, and father Chi-lun. April 3, At the Ryukyu Shimpo Offices in Naha


April 4, 2019 Ryukyu Shimpo

A Taiwanese couple that prematurely went into labor while on honeymoon in Okinawa, giving birth to Chen Chun-hon, 2, who weighed only 884 grams (1.94 lbs.) at birth, have returned to Okinawa to say thank you and to show their healthy child. The childbirth and subsequent healthcare was not covered by their travel insurance, and that in addition to other hospital fees ended up totaling over 8 million yen, much more than they could afford, however Okinawans, Taiwanese living abroad, and other all pitched in to raise round 21 million yen to cover the expenses. The parents had words of gratitude for the people of Okinawa, saying, “We cannot possibly thank everyone enough. Thanks to everyone’s warm support, we are able to live as a family.”
The parents, Chi-lun, 25, and Li-shan, 22, who live in Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan, were on their honeymoon in Okinawa March 29, 2017. The following day, Shan’s water broke despite being in only her seventh month of pregnancy, and the couple raced to Okinawa Kyodo Hospital in Naha. After the baby was measured weighing less than 1,500 grams, the baby was transported to the island’s only premature baby specialty care unit at the Nanbu Medical Center’s Child Medical Center. The parents stayed at the Gajumaru House, which takes in parents of sick children from distant islands and the northern regions of Okinawa.
Chun-hon turned 2 on March 30, and has grown to 85 cm. in height and 12 kg in weight. Chi-lun says “He is healthy, but has so much energy,” saying that he will say “Moshi-moshi” when he hears his name, and will run around on the lawn with rambunctious energy.
The previous trip was a honeymoon put on hold by a birth. For this trip, the family of three plans to enjoy Okinawa a bit while also going to thank everyone that helped them two years prior. Li-Shan said while holding Chun-hon, “I want him to study in Japan to be a doctor. Health is the most important thing.”

(English translation by T&CT and Sam Grieb)

Go to Japanese


　


Previous Article:
Next Article:

[Similar Articles]