'He left for Taiwan in good health': Family of Singaporean shattered after he fell into coma while on holiday

The family members of a Singaporean man were left mystified after he suddenly slipped into a coma while on holiday in Taiwan. 

Recounting the events of that fateful trip, Benjamin Lum said his brother, Jake Evan Loo went to Taiwan with his friends in late November last year. 

On the first night of the trip, Lum said that Loo's friends suddenly found him unconscious and "covered in what seemed like blood". 

Loo's friends rushed him to Kaohsiung Municipal Ta Tung Hospital, where they found out he had slipped into a hypoglycemic coma - a type of diabetic coma that occurs when a person's blood sugar levels are extremely low. 

Loo ended up spending a gruelling three weeks in hospital, where he had to battle several health complications including hypoglycemia, acute respiratory failure and acute kidney injury, said Lum who started an online fundraising campaign for his brother.

He is looking to raise $72,783 to cover the cost of his brother's hospital stay and air ambulance fees. 

"He left for Taiwan in good health, but when I saw him he was connected to numerous tubes, unable to breathe independently and relied on multiple machines to sustain his life," wrote an agonised Lum on his brother's Give.asia page. 

Till today, Loo's family does not know why he fell into a coma. 

Lum revealed that Loo's three-week hospital stay in Taiwan cost the family NTD $656,550 (S$28,116). 

The family also said they had to arrange for an air ambulance at a whopping cost of $38,050 to bring Loo back to Singapore, as they could no longer pay for his medical fees in Taiwan. 

The family said they had to borrow money from their relatives for this expense. 

Loo was brought back to Singapore via air ambulance on December 23, 2023. 

Financial strain on family 

Lum further shared that their family had experienced some financial strain, as he and Loo, along with their sister had to fork out money to purchase their family home back in October 2022 when their parents divorced. 

"Jake has consistently been our pillar of strength as we navigate through life's challenges, but when this incident occurred, it felt as though the ground beneath us suddenly gave way," said Lum. 

To help the family, Lum said he and his sister have been taking up part-time jobs as delivery riders. 

Lum's mother, who is 61, works in retail but has chronic lower back pain which also requires medical attention. His father, 65, recently lost his job and is currently looking for employment. 

As of December 2023, the family has spent some $66,166 on Loo's hospital bills.

Loo is currently in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the Singapore General Hospital, and is still in a coma, said Lum. 

He added that he unsure when his brother can be discharged from the hospital. 

"While there have been some positive signs in his blood test reports, his MRI Brain scan reveals concerning changes. We're anxiously awaiting the neurologist's update to understand the full extent of his condition." 

AsiaOne has contacted Loo's family for more information. 

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