Korean Punk Scene Comes Together To Raise Funds for 10 Year Old [Korea]

The South Korean hardcore punk community have come together to organize a special benefit show entitled AS WE GROW to help raise funds for a 10-year-old girl named Eileen. Eileen is the daughter of Victor – vocalist of hardcore band THINGS WE SAY – and is suffering from biliary atresia. The organizers state, “We hope many people will come and give strength to his family. Please note that a donation box for Victor’s family will be provided on the day of the performance. All profits go to Victor.” The name of the event is taken from Things We Say’s ‘As We Grow’.

The family themselves made the following announcement:

“Dear friends, family, acquaintances, and benevolent strangers

I am writing to humbly ask for your donation for our beloved 10-year-old niece, Eileen, who is suffering from biliary atresia. Her parents Victor and Tamiko have been battling with Eileen since her first diagnosis as an infant.

Biliary atresia is a rare liver disease where the bile ducts, which carry a digestive fluid called bile from the liver to the small intestine, are damaged, blocked, or missing. This causes a backup of bile in the liver, leading to liver damage, and oftentimes develops into liver failure.

She underwent her first major surgery when she was 69 days old. She has undergone countless imaging and testing (some of them far from painless) throughout her entire life and has taken it all like a champ.

Many children with the disease will need a liver transplant at some point in their life, some immediately after the initial surgery (Kasai Procedure) done in an attempt to prolong the life of the damaged liver. She bravely endured countless daily treatments and procedures up to her current age of 10.

Sadly, she recently developed a rare but serious complication called the hepatopulmonary syndrome, where her other organs are struggling to keep up with her failing liver.

Due to this, she needs a liver transplant as soon as possible, and her parents are both getting tested as potential donors and doing everything they can to prepare for the procedure. Her mom, Tamiko (my sister) has had to quit her job to be at Eileen’s side. Her father Victor has had to take significant pause to manage the care of Eileen’s two older sisters and the transportation to and from the hospital (2hrs away). Without hesitation, both parents quit/paused their jobs to focus on caring for their daughter and preparing for the surgery.

As you can imagine, this has put a significant financial strain on the family. Medical expenses and daily living costs are piling up, and they will be unable to work for close to a year due to the recovery period and her immune status (even with a successful transplant Eileen will need to be quarantined due to her immunocompromised status), which will make things even more challenging. Any amount of donation will be enormously helpful for Eileen’s medical bills and living expenses over the next year.

Moreover, for the donor (hopefully, one of her parents will be a match) of the liver, there are significant testing and surgery fees needed for the transplant, and the hospital does not cover these expenses at all. This means that any additional donation would be essential to support the donor’s contribution, as well as Eileen’s care.

We understand that these are challenging times for everyone, and appreciate any support you can offer. You are not merely helping Eileen, but also supporting her parents in this challenging situation. Even if you are unable to donate, if you can help spread the word we would be extremely grateful. Thank you all for your kindness and consideration.

Sincerely and humbly,

Kazuko Nakamura”

The show will take place on September 9th at CLUB SHARP. All the details can be found in the flyer below.

To make donations or to learn more about this situation please check this link HERE. And read more about it in this excellent article in Korea Times.