Eddie Smith, microlight pilot in Siem Reap, needs help

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cptrelentless
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Re: Eddie Smith, microlight pilot in Siem Reap, needs help

Post by cptrelentless »

SmithNicole wrote: Thu Aug 17, 2017 5:34 am I am Eddie's little sister & I feel the need to express some facts to the jerks that have expressed their comments about my brother!! First of all Eddie has no ideaor knowledge that a "gofundmepage" was created & he would be pissed about it. Second, if that was your brother/sister/mother/father would you be thinking "oh just let them die"?? Most normal human beings would not give up on someone they love if there was a chance! My brother went to see the doctor after several days of not going to the bathroom. They did Xray/MRI and said it showed an obstruction at the end of his large intestion. My brother wanted to come home to the US but was told he needed surgery right now & was to sick for approval to fly. Eddie paid the hospital for this surgery the day he was admitted. He was not a fan of the health care system there but at that point had no choice. Eddie was not aware how bad things really were or that it was cancer & had spread to his bladder. He was alert the day after surgery & all his vital signs & heart were good according to the medical records the hospital sent. Then he started to have pain in his arms & chest & became frustrated because no one wanted to listen to him. His body developed sepsis/infection which caused him to go into cardiac arrest. The hospital intibated him & filled him with xanax, morophine & other drugs to keep him sedated. My family was contacted & told Eddie needed surgery on his heart to have ballon put in & they wanted to transfer him to another facility that could perform the surgery. To clarify it wasnt 3 heart attacks! We were not told of the infection or cancer findings. We approved the transfer hoping he would have the surgery & be ok. It was then that the "royal" hospital told us they would not transfer him without us sending $22,000 for his air transport. The hospital told us all other costs for surgeries & stay would be $60k. My family is on the other side of the world! We felt helpless & had language barriers trying to communicate about his condition & a 12hr time difference trying to get in touch with someone at embassy to tell us what the procedures are. Out of desperation & wanting to Save Eddies life a very beloved friend created the gofundme page because my family did not have access to gather up $22k overnight. Im sure they just put the cost that we were told, but it was done with desperation to help. They would not process the transfer until they got paid & all the while Eddie is getting worse. If my brother were able to talk or give them money he would have! We can not just fly over there & have any say on what to do with his business or sell his microlights or property! Even if we could that takes time & time is critical in his case. After speaking with the embassy he was transferrred to another hospital which is how we learned about the infection & the cancer being stage 4. I have many friends who have survived stage 4 cancer and I believe in God & miracles & healing so forgive his family for not giving up on him & trying to do whatever we can to save his life! Those of you who wish to post cruel & self satisfying comments about my brother when he had nothing to do with this, I will pray for you & hope you never find yourself or loved ones in the situation that we are facing! I may never see my brother again or be able to say goodbye if he doesnt make it. So as long as I am breathing & able, I will do whatever it takes to help
Eddie because I love him & he is a fighter!!!
So he didn't have medical insurance. Surely you would agree that it would be easier if he had?
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Re: Eddie Smith, microlight pilot in Siem Reap, needs help

Post by phuketrichard »

PLEASE dont take this personal and it might be difficult to read.


few questions;
How old is Eddie?
what would Eddie want?
would he have approved of a gofund me page?
would he want all the operations?
Does he have a living will?

I am sure ur in grief and feel sad for you and after seeing a good friend of mine die recently with cancer (+my mother,my aunt,my uncle before), i made a living will and a last will & Testament

My living will states
"Should circumstances come to exist, such as there is no reasonable expectation of my recovery, I direct that no extreme measures of any kind be used. In the event that there is a substantial question about the possibility of my recovery, or if there is no reasonable expectation of my recovery, I request that medication or other measures be utilized to reduce my physical suffering. I ask that this request be carried out even in the event that such measures or such medication may shorten my life."

So if what happened to Eddie happened to me i would have passed, "Stage IV is the last stage, It may also mean that it has spread to other parts of the body, While treatment with chemotherapy and radiation may slow the progress of the cancer's spread, there is no opportunity to fully eradicate the cancer and chances for recovery are very small."
Do u wish to put him thru the pain of operations and chemo for only a small hope of recovery?


MY daughter lives in America and if i was in the same circumstances as Eddie, she would be on the next plane over
Come over, make him comfortable an be with him and ask him what he wants. All of us living in Asia face hard choices in regards to no health insurance, old age & cancer
We can not just fly over there & have any say on what to do with his business or sell his microlights or property!
Yes u can if ur next of kin, The embassy will assist u.
In a nation run by swine, all pigs are upward-mobile and the rest of us are fucked until we can put our acts together: not necessarily to win, but mainly to keep from losing completely. HST
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Re: Eddie Smith, microlight pilot in Siem Reap, needs help

Post by Ronny »

SmithNicole wrote: Thu Aug 17, 2017 5:34 am I am Eddie's little sister & I feel the need to express some facts to the jerks that have expressed their comments about my brother!! First of all Eddie has no ideaor knowledge that a "gofundmepage" was created & he would be pissed about it. Second, if that was your brother/sister/mother/father would you be thinking "oh just let them die"?? Most normal human beings would not give up on someone they love if there was a chance! My brother went to see the doctor after several days of not going to the bathroom. They did Xray/MRI and said it showed an obstruction at the end of his large intestion. My brother wanted to come home to the US but was told he needed surgery right now & was to sick for approval to fly. Eddie paid the hospital for this surgery the day he was admitted. He was not a fan of the health care system there but at that point had no choice. Eddie was not aware how bad things really were or that it was cancer & had spread to his bladder. He was alert the day after surgery & all his vital signs & heart were good according to the medical records the hospital sent. Then he started to have pain in his arms & chest & became frustrated because no one wanted to listen to him. His body developed sepsis/infection which caused him to go into cardiac arrest. The hospital intibated him & filled him with xanax, morophine & other drugs to keep him sedated. My family was contacted & told Eddie needed surgery on his heart to have ballon put in & they wanted to transfer him to another facility that could perform the surgery. To clarify it wasnt 3 heart attacks! We were not told of the infection or cancer findings. We approved the transfer hoping he would have the surgery & be ok. It was then that the "royal" hospital told us they would not transfer him without us sending $22,000 for his air transport. The hospital told us all other costs for surgeries & stay would be $60k. My family is on the other side of the world! We felt helpless & had language barriers trying to communicate about his condition & a 12hr time difference trying to get in touch with someone at embassy to tell us what the procedures are. Out of desperation & wanting to Save Eddies life a very beloved friend created the gofundme page because my family did not have access to gather up $22k overnight. Im sure they just put the cost that we were told, but it was done with desperation to help. They would not process the transfer until they got paid & all the while Eddie is getting worse. If my brother were able to talk or give them money he would have! We can not just fly over there & have any say on what to do with his business or sell his microlights or property! Even if we could that takes time & time is critical in his case. After speaking with the embassy he was transferrred to another hospital which is how we learned about the infection & the cancer being stage 4. I have many friends who have survived stage 4 cancer and I believe in God & miracles & healing so forgive his family for not giving up on him & trying to do whatever we can to save his life! Those of you who wish to post cruel & self satisfying comments about my brother when he had nothing to do with this, I will pray for you & hope you never find yourself or loved ones in the situation that we are facing! I may never see my brother again or be able to say goodbye if he doesnt make it. So as long as I am breathing & able, I will do whatever it takes to help
Eddie because I love him & he is a fighter!!!

I'm sorry for the situation you find yourself in. Unfortunately, there are a few pompous, holier-than-thou little shits who post on these threads so just ignore them as the good guys here outnumber the bad ones. For those of you making disparaging remarks about Eddie, just remember that most of you are only an accident away from being in the same predicament so show some humility. Most of you guys are VERY far from home and I guarantee most of you could fork out $60,000+ on a few days notice so again, get of your high horses.
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Re: Eddie Smith, microlight pilot in Siem Reap, needs help

Post by hanno »

Ronny wrote: Thu Aug 17, 2017 10:32 pm Most of you guys are VERY far from home and I guarantee most of you could fork out $60,000+ on a few days notice so again, get of your high horses.
That is why I have insurance....
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Re: Eddie Smith, microlight pilot in Siem Reap, needs help

Post by Khartoum »

hanno wrote: Fri Aug 18, 2017 3:51 amThat is why I have insurance....
This. It's not an especially difficult concept.
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Re: Eddie Smith, microlight pilot in Siem Reap, needs help

Post by taabarang »

Khartoum wrote: Fri Aug 18, 2017 5:02 am
hanno wrote: Fri Aug 18, 2017 3:51 amThat is why I have insurance....
This. It's not an especially difficult concept.
For those of you who can afford it or have an employer pay for it, count your blessings, but no need to assume a condescending attitude toward those can't. "Not an especially difficult concept" Are you quoting Donald Trump?
As my old Cajun bait seller used to say, "I opes you luck.
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Re: Eddie Smith, microlight pilot in Siem Reap, needs help

Post by Khartoum »

Can buy flying machine, but can not get insurance. If one decides to get their priorities out of order then so be it. Condescending? I don't think so; for many, insurance is a prerequisite.
Last edited by Khartoum on Fri Aug 18, 2017 9:11 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Eddie Smith, microlight pilot in Siem Reap, needs help

Post by hanno »

taabarang wrote: Fri Aug 18, 2017 6:23 am
Khartoum wrote: Fri Aug 18, 2017 5:02 am
hanno wrote: Fri Aug 18, 2017 3:51 amThat is why I have insurance....
This. It's not an especially difficult concept.
For those of you who can afford it or have an employer pay for it, count your blessings, but no need to assume a condescending attitude toward those can't. "Not an especially difficult concept" Are you quoting Donald Trump?
Not condescending at all, if you cannot afford insurance then maybe it is better to return home (assuming you are from a country that has free healthcare).

However, I have met plenty of people who refuse to pay for insurance out of principle (there are quite a few on this forum as well). Fine, but I think people that have family and are not insured are reckless if not outright criminal. And I have come across plenty of people who bemoaned not being able to afford insurance whilst quaffing their 8th beer of the day.
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Re: Eddie Smith, microlight pilot in Siem Reap, needs help

Post by phuketrichard »

i have never had insurance and wont buy into the scam.
Insurance companies betting u wont get sick or have an accident, u putting ur money down, betting you will, so u get paid back.
NO Thanks
nothing to do with cant afford it either...

+ over a certain age ( around 62) try and get it...
In a nation run by swine, all pigs are upward-mobile and the rest of us are fucked until we can put our acts together: not necessarily to win, but mainly to keep from losing completely. HST
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Re: Eddie Smith, microlight pilot in Siem Reap, needs help

Post by angkorjohn »

hanno wrote: Fri Aug 18, 2017 6:32 am
taabarang wrote: Fri Aug 18, 2017 6:23 am
Khartoum wrote: Fri Aug 18, 2017 5:02 am
hanno wrote: Fri Aug 18, 2017 3:51 amThat is why I have insurance....
This. It's not an especially difficult concept.
For those of you who can afford it or have an employer pay for it, count your blessings, but no need to assume a condescending attitude toward those can't. "Not an especially difficult concept" Are you quoting Donald Trump?
Not condescending at all, if you cannot afford insurance then maybe it is better to return home (assuming you are from a country that has free healthcare).

However, I have met plenty of people who refuse to pay for insurance out of principle (there are quite a few on this forum as well). Fine, but I think people that have family and are not insured are reckless if not outright criminal. And I have come across plenty of people who bemoaned not being able to afford insurance whilst quaffing their 8th beer of the day.
Yes I agree with this depending on age etc you can get a reasonable health insurance package for under $100 a month. Those who say they cant afford it are often those who will quite happily drop $100 on a night out down 136
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