A Singaporean woman who was diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer while in the United States will be able to reunite with her family here, after the public raised more than $300,000 to fund her trip home.
Ms Lerine Liu, 42, will board an air ambulance operated by International SOS (Isos) tomorrow morning in the US. She will be accompanied by a doctor and a nurse.
The flight will depart from Canada to pick up Ms Liu from New Jersey, where she is currently hospitalised at St Michael's Medical Centre in Newark. Her bills there are covered by an assistance programme under the New Jersey State Department of Health that includes non-residents.
After refuelling stops, the flight will arrive in Singapore on Saturday, at about 4am.
Ms Liu's sister, Ms Felicia Liew, yesterday expressed gratitude for the public's support.
"On behalf of my sister and my family, I would like to sincerely thank everyone who donated, from Singapore and abroad. I will forever be grateful for your kindness in helping to bring my sister back home so she can be with us," said Ms Liew, 46, one of Ms Liu's three sisters.
Ms Liu is separated from her husband. They have no children.
The Straits Times reported on Monday that Ms Liu was diagnosed with inoperable cancer after arriving in the US in February to start a new life and career there.
She soon became severely ill, as the cancer had spread to her bones, one of her lungs, and her liver.
She wished to go home to her family, but commercial flights had been cancelled because of the pandemic.
Her only way back was by air ambulance, which would cost about US$235,000 (S$333,000).
Unable to afford the arrangement, her family set up a crowdfunding campaign on online platform Give.asia last Thursday.
However, the initial fund raising was slow, and her family decided to pump $1,700 into online advertisements.
Donations peaked on Monday after The Straits Times and Lianhe Wanbao reported on her plight, with more than $330,000 raised by that evening.
Ms Liew, a fitness trainer, said her family decided to end the campaign yesterday, with $373,891 raised.
"A lot of kind-hearted people were still donating, so we ended it to allow other people to receive donations instead," she said.
She said the air ambulance will cost US$231,000. The remainder will be used for her sister's hospital bills here. Give.asia will transfer the money directly to Isos and the hospital, she added.
