Gwangju Helps Yvette
UPDATE 8/8/13: We regret to report that Yvette Pienaar passed away on Wednesday, August 7, 2013. A service was held the following morning in Gumi. Our condolences to Yvette Pienaar’s friends and family. Charitable contributions made toward Yvette Pienaar’s health care will go to the family.
According to a Facebook page entitled “Funds for Yvette”, a South African woman named Yvette Pienaar was admitted to a hospital on Monday, 8 July 2013. She is currently in a coma at Kyungpook National University Hospital (KNUH) in Daegu. Doctors placed her in an induced coma after she began to experience seizures, but they have still not successfully diagnosed her. Her current treatment for a possible autoimmune disease costs 200,000 won per day and is not covered by national medical insurance.
In April and May of this year, members of Gwangju’s foreign community held so many charity events to pay for English teacher Sarah Graydon’s medical bills that their efforts became national news. This July, Gwangju News published a follow-up article about what severely sick people can expect in South Korea. Among other concerns, the article noted that “the next person in this situation might not have the same level of support. People might be less likely to donate their money and time the second time around.”
So far, this worry appears happily unfounded. A number of foreign residents in Gwangju have reacted with swift support. Members of Gwangju’s informal juggling club have declared they will be performing on Downtown streets for donations. Announcing an auction for charity, the computer repair company Korea MacPC Guys declared, “The time has come again to reach out to the community.”
If you too would like to help with Yvette Pienaar’s medical fund, there are multiple methods for donating.
If you live in South Korea and would like to donate, you can transfer funds to the following bank account:
Van Den Heever James Gerhardus
KEB (Korea Exchange Bank)
620203623013
Please use YVETTE as a reference.
If you live outside of South Korea, you can transfer funds by sending money to the company Waegook Travel and using YVETTE as a reference. The proprietors will forward the money to the appropriate account.