Following Successful Heart Surgery, Crowdfunding Continues for Expat Dikran Gullekian

Huang Chenkuang | Dec 11, 2019 11:04 am | Add a comment | 510 reads

When news that long-time Beijing resident Dikran Gullekian had suffered an aortic dissection on Monday, messages of well-wishes quickly spread throughout the local community. Gullekian's friends had also created a fundraiser, asking for urgent financial support for the 66-year-old's emergency heart surgery to save his life.

The Beijing community came together, with 2,663 donors raising a miraculous RMB 250,000 for his surgery in only 16 hours. Gullekian's surgery was a success and he was moved to the ICU in a stable but critical condition. However, the initial round of fundraising does not cover his recovery costs, and so now his friends are once again calling upon the community to provide what they can to help Gullekian find full recovery.

Gullekian is best known in the community for his delicious hummus and Middle Eastern food as well as his work helping rescue animals.

At present, it is not known how long it will take Gullekian to be well enough to be able to leave the hospital. Daily ICU costs vary between RMB 10,000-20,000, which this new round of fundraising hopes to cover. For now, they look to raise RMB 150,000 to cover total expenses.

READ: Medical Insurance in Beijing: Why You Need It, and How to Get It

If you would like to give Gullekian a helping hand to recovery, a Qingshouchou page (轻松筹, China’s major crowdfunding platform) has been updated with details of his status and what the money will go towards.