“What has Mom ever done for me?” ... Woman in Her 70s Left Alone in Hospital [What Do You Think?]

[Financial News] A woman in her 70s who had sent her two daughters monthly living expenses and even helped pay their moving deposits appealed for help, saying she had lost contact with them after her health deteriorated. She said she had been hospitalized for six months but had yet to undergo surgery.
On the 30th, JTBC’s “Scandal Supervisor” reported that Ms. A, a woman in her 70s, is currently hospitalized and unable to reach either of her two daughters. She is also reportedly struggling to pay her hospital bills.
Ms. A said she had divorced her husband because of his repeated infidelity. At the time, she wanted to take her two daughters with her, but she could not afford housing and living expenses, so she left the home alone. She said that her former husband later prevented her from seeing the girls, and they lost contact.
While living apart from her daughters, Ms. A heard nothing about them for a long time. Then her younger daughter, by then an adult, sought her out, and they began communicating again. The younger daughter visited Ms. A every weekend, sometimes sharing a meal with her or staying overnight.
Later, the younger daughter asked Ms. A for financial support, saying she did not have enough money for living expenses. Ms. A gave her 1 million won a month. Although this was close to half her salary at the time, she said she continued helping her daughter, whom she had reconnected with after a long time apart.
The younger daughter later brought her older sister to see Ms. A as well. This gave Ms. A the chance to reconnect with her eldest daughter, and she kept in touch with both daughters.
The eldest daughter also asked for financial help. When she said she did not have enough for the deposit on a home she was moving into, Ms. A gave her the money she had saved. The eldest daughter reportedly asked for financial help several more times afterward.
But things changed when Ms. A cut back on work because of a neurological disorder. When her income fell and she said she could no longer help financially, her eldest daughter said, “What have you ever done for me, Mom?” Ms. A claims that she lost contact with her eldest daughter after that.
She remained in contact with her younger daughter, however. When Ms. A’s health deteriorated and she had difficulty getting around, the younger daughter took her to the hospital herself and arranged her admission. She listed her own phone number as the guardian’s contact and promised to return with money for the hospital bills.
But when Ms. A needed surgery, she also lost contact with her younger daughter. At Ms. A’s request, her younger female cousin called both daughters, but reportedly found that the contact had been blocked.
The hospital reportedly later spoke with the younger daughter, who was listed as the guardian. Ms. A claims that hospital staff told her the younger daughter had described her as “not my mom, but my adoptive mom.”
Ms. A said she was in her sixth month of hospitalization. She had even shaved her head in preparation for surgery, but had still not undergone it. She said she was also unable to manage her outstanding hospital bills.
Her younger cousin is now visiting the hospital to care for Ms. A. Ms. A said, however, that her cousin was also struggling financially, making it difficult to keep asking her for help.
Ms. A said she felt hurt that, although she had supported both daughters with living expenses and housing deposits despite her own limited means, they had cut off contact when she herself fell ill. She also said she worried that her daughters might be avoiding her because they were concerned about the burden of her hospital bills.
Experts appearing on the program advised Ms. A to look into welfare programs available through the Health and Welfare Counseling Center or the community service center responsible for her area. They suggested checking whether she was eligible for programs that could reduce medical costs, such as emergency welfare medical support.


[email protected] Han Seung-gon Reporter