Ailing American Heads Home on Donation

Matt Robinson

By Bryan Kay
Staff Reporter

An American English teacher who had been stuck in hospital with no way to pay a soaring medical bill ― during which he came close to losing his leg ― has returned home to the United States thanks to an outpouring of support from the foreign community.

Matt Robinson, a former member of the expat theater group Seoul Players, left Korea at the end of June with hopes of receiving corrective surgery to heal a wound left by a procedure he had to remove damaged tissue.

And his touchdown in Cleveland, Ohio, came after foreigners rallied to his aid, raising a staggering 28 million won.

He first entered hospital more than four months ago to have his first round of surgery, but two months later complications developed and he was forced to re-enter in order to undergo a life-saving procedure.

Further difficulties that emerged during the second stay saw deep-vein thrombosis develop and lead to a lengthy and costly stay ― resulting in a huge medical bill that he was unable to pay.

It was at this point that friends came to his aid, launching a massive fund-raising mission through events held in bars, cafes and other venues around Seoul.

The sum amassed meant he was able to cover the cost of the latest hospital stay and surgeries ― and there was even enough left over to help return to the United States to undergo another round of necessary medical procedures.

Robinson is now at Cleveland Clinic, from where he hopes to fight his way back to full health.

Before he left, he spoke of his gratitude for the people who donated to his cause, vowing to return to Korea to thank them in person.

In a mailing sent to donors who helped raise the cash that paid for his treatment and airfare, he said, ``So many people have helped that I don't even know, so for those of you who have remained anonymous. Thank you.
``Leaving Korea like this is very difficult, but I realize that it is the only necessary option for me right now. Once again you have all helped so much and I can never truly express my gratitude, or maybe I am now. I don't know.

``I hope that you all continue to enjoy your time in Korea and I hope in time maybe I'll see many of you here again at some point because I am not getting to leave on my own terms. I will miss you all, but I will update this site on my recovery process," he said.

Friend and one of the chief fund-raisers, Colette Nickerson, told The Korea Times the foreign community had shown great compassion to come to Robinson's aid.

``Matt was able to get three of his surgeries here in Korea. He will need much more extensive reconstructive surgery done back at the Cleveland Clinic," she said.

``We do not yet know how many more operations or how much recovery time is needed for Matt at this point. One constant consideration is Matt's deep vein thrombosis, which makes surgery more complicated than normal.

``The foreign community and many local citizens really rose to the occasion. It really started when Matt communicated with his close friends about just how serious his situation was. Then there was the immediate creation of a Facebook page dedicated to his cause, and from this networking site, we were able to spread awareness and raise the total in less than two weeks."

Nickerson said people had show great creativity in drumming up ideas for fund-raising events.

``We had individual donations from people in the U.S., Thailand, England and perhaps other international locations, as well as here in Korea," she continued.

She said students from the Suwon Foreign Language High School raised approximately one million won from a bake sale and made a video and personally delivered their donation and sign. ``(Matt) feels indebted to all of these people."

bk@koreatimes.co.kr

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