Assault Victim School Teacher Adam Pickles Fund Growing

 

CHIANGRAI TIMES  – An appeal to raise money to fly assault victim Adam Pickles home from Thailand has soared past 1,959,976.00 THB a month after the attack that left him comatose.

Regent’s School teacher Adam Pickles, 40 – who moved to Thailand seven years ago – was almost killed by the unprovoked attack on his driveway.

This week he was put back on a ventilator and, in another health blow, was showing signs of pneumonia. But there was good news too. A fundraising appeal launched by his UK family and friends to help pay for his 97,994.93 THB a day treatment and to fly him back to West Yorkshire has reached 2,008,896.13 THB.

Adam’s heart rate also strengthened and, in a breakthrough moment, he lifted his arm in response to a Jimi Hendrix track.

His dad Andrew said: “These are small steps but to us they are massive; they are what we have been hoping and praying for. The doctors had to put Adam back on the ventilator as he got too tired. We are back to monitoring the situation carefully.”

Adam’s close friend Katie Jones, from Leeds, said: “He is without a doubt a fighter. He is overcoming obstacles and hurdles on a daily basis and the medical staff are trying to bring this latest hurdle under control.

“We are hoping Adam will show more positive signs of improvement and ultimately we hope he will become stable enough to be flown home back to the UK. The cost to do this has been quoted at just over 3,430,133.12 THB, so it is imperative we push on with the fundraising side of things to make this happen when he is stable enough bring home.”

Andrew and wife Adele, 61, have been at their son’s bedside ever since the May 17 attack.

The Bangkok insurance firm that covers Adam through his job has now paid out, but the sum is less than 10 per cent of his care costs.

Fundraisers have rallied to Adam’s cause, including pupils and staff at the Regent’s School in Pattaya, Thailand, where he is head of English and staff at Wakefield’s Cathedral School, where Adam previously taught, who have launched their own campaign, PickleAid.

Visit: www.donatetoadam.org or: http://www.facebook.com/groups/adampickles to donate and for updates.