Monday 22 July 2013

Lily Helen Hewgill

My wife Amy and I were transiting through Shanghai on our way home after holiday in Europe, and she unexpectedly gave birth to a premature baby girl (27 weeks gestation). Mom and baby Lily are doing OK now.
Lily is now in Shanghai Children's Medical Center in Shanghai which is an excellent hospital by Chinese standards. She was born on 19 July 2013 at 17:25. She was 990 grams and 40 cm. She now has an official Chinese birth certificate.
In the Chinese health system, as parents we have high responsibilities but few rights. We cannot visit Lily except by extra special permission on a one-time basis (we have seen her once since birth). However we are responsible for buying and supplying anything she needs beyond what the government supplies.
Our problems are compounded by the fact that we cannot speak, listen, or read. We get documents from the Chinese public health system and cannot understand what we are asked to sign. We do not even get copies. English, where it exists at all, is only very basic and cannot be used to truly understand what is happening to our little girl.
Our current plan is to evacuate her to New Zealand as soon as possible (which could be weeks because she must be stable first). Our travel insurance is helping but will not cover Lily's expenses. We are contacting every resource we can think of to help.
  • NZ, US, Canada embassy/consulates
  • Family and friends
  • Travel insurance
  • Greg's employer
  • Medical evacuation companies (Asia Pacific Jets, International SOS)
  • Our midwife in NZ
  • Bank/mortgage/credit cards
  • Red Cross
We expect the costs to be in excess of $200,000 USD for the flight. Once in NZ, she will be fully covered by the public health system and we can see her and help her develop into a healthy child.
What we need:
  • A place to stay for Amy (preferably on on metro line 4 or 6)
  • A support community of friendly faces in Shanghai
  • Professional interpreting and translating with specialised medical experience
  • Money. This is the hardest thing for us to ask for.
Our NZ bank account is Kiwibank 38-9005-0463830-03 (account name A N & G D HEWGILL). Anything and everything will help save her life.


Contact email is rescue.our.lily@gmail.com