Jon Dunbar is a copy editor at The Korea Times, as well as editor of the Foreign Community page and curator of the Korea Times Archive. If you have suggestions for possible articles, or wish to contribute articles yourself, contact jdunbar@koreatimes.co.kr.
Underground musicians support 10-year-old girl's liver transplant
Eileen Ha, below, poses with her Korean father Victor and mother Japanese American mother Tamiko. Courtesy of Victor Ha
By Jon Dunbar
By Jon Dunbar
Eileen Ha is not an ordinary 10-year-old Korean girl. If there were any justice in the universe, she would be.
She was born with biliary atresia, a condition in which the bile ducts around the liver are blocked.
“Eileen is a child who brings joy,” said her Korean father, who's known among his foreign and Korean friends as Victor Ha. “She's incredibly cute and pretty. She's growing up receiving plenty of love from her mom, dad and two older sisters. She enjoys adorable characters and likes to sit quietly to draw or do crafts. At school, she's an ordinary child and gets along well with her friends.”
She was born to a Japanese American mother and a Korean father who's known in underground music circles around the world as the lead singer of the
hardcore punk band Things We Say
. Both those facts are a little unusual in Korea, but hardly abnormal.
“There aren't many significant differences (between Eileen and her peers). In fact, there are no differences from Korean children until it is mentioned that her mom is Japanese,” Victor said. “However, influenced by her parents, she has been familiar with both American and Japanese cultures from a young age. As a result, she seems to have a more open mind about various cultures compared to her peers.”
But Eileen still doesn't get to have a normal life, because of her disease. She had her first major surgery at 69 days old, and has lived with the condition all her life, but now is suffering from a complication known as hepatopulmonary syndrome, in which the rest of her organs suffer due to low blood oxygen levels.
But there's hope. After extensive testing proved a match, Eileen's mother Tamiko will donate a portion of her own healthy liver to her daughter on Aug. 21. If successful, the surgery will give Eileen a shot at a normal life.
Eileen Ha, left, poses with her two older sisters, Erin and Serena, at the hospital. Courtesy of Victor Ha
Victor said that his daughter understands this rare plight “to some extent.”
“She is aware that she can easily become tired due to her liver condition from a young age,” he said. “She also understands the importance of avoiding impacts to her abdomen and staying away from intense physical activities. This applies to school as well. She knew that someday she might need a liver transplant, so when she found out that she needs one now, it didn't come as a huge shock. However, it's true that there is fear and worry as the surgery approaches.”
He added that her condition does not currently cause her pain, although she gets tired easily and experiences shortness of breath with even a little bit of physical exertion.
“Other than that, she doesn't experience significant body pain or discomfort,” Victor said.
The Korea Times was set to run an article about Eileen's father Victor's business, the skate shop Look Beyond, which also specializes in introducing Japanese kendama to Korea and also selling craft beer, located in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province.
But Victor, one of the most passionate, friendly members of Korea's small underground music scene, had to put all his activities on pause to take care of his daughter. He transports her to and from the hospital daily, as well as looking after her two older sisters. As Tamiko also quit her job in order to be at her daughter's side, the family was left without an income.
Even if the transplant surgery is a success, they will not be able to jump back into their careers, as Eileen will need to remain quarantined due to her immunocompromised status. Although she is entitled to a 90 percent state health insurance subsidy for most of her medical costs due to the rareness of her disease, other related expenses are not covered.
“After Eileen undergoes a liver transplant, she needs to stay in the intensive care unit initially and even when she's transferred to a regular room, due to infection risks, she should be in a single or double room, all of which are non-covered expenses,” Victor said. “Furthermore, all the preliminary testing costs, medical fees, surgical expenses, and hospitalization costs for Eileen's mom as a donor are also not covered.”
Skaters in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, show their support for Eileen Ha with "Skate for Eileen" shirts from Look Beyond Music & Skate. Courtesy of Victor Ha
As soon as the family reached out for help, they found it offered by friends and family around the world. Victor's friends in the live music scene have answered the call, showing their support in every way they can, including financially. In June, local bands in Cheonan showed their support by throwing a
.
This Saturday, the punk venue Skunk Sindang will host the
concert, intended to raise money for the Ha family. The lineup includes Galaxy Express, Dead Chant, Syntapunk, A Lone Wolf Elegy Club and Mooii.
On the same day, Daegu venue Commune will also be holding its own “
” fundraiser to help the Has, which includes performances by Daydreamers, Sangmyung Shim, M_Y Colorr and Misun.
And Townhall Records and True Color Collective are planning a
for Eileen at Club SHARP on Sept. 9, featuring Slant, Holy Mountain, Seoul Dolmangchi, No Shelter, Scumraid and All I Have.
“It's truly heartwarming,” Victor said about the community support that has been pouring out for his family. “Honestly, when I decided to openly share my difficulties and ask for help, I never imagined that so many people would step up to support us. I think it's really amazing that my music friends are even organizing charity concerts.”
However, he added that Eileen doesn't really understand all this weird adult stuff ― punk, hardcore and underground music that her dad is into ― instead preferring K-pop, J-pop, arts and crafts, video games, nail polish and Pompompurin characters. “Eileen doesn't show much interest in the things I enjoy,” he admitted. “She's completely unfamiliar with hardcore music, and she's somewhat familiar with kendama. Well, you could say her preferences align more with her mom's.”
He added that they have already benefited from the generosity of a supportive community, so the family's financial difficulties have already been somewhat alleviated. “Now, we ask for your support in the form of encouragement, well-wishing, prayers and positive thoughts,” he said.
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