B.C. Grandmother Comatose in China After Stroke During Family Visit

A British Columbia grandmother remains comatose in a Chinese hospital after suffering a stroke during what was meant to be a family reunion trip.

Lilia Avoutova, 78, and her 79-year-old husband Savout traveled from Burnaby, B.C. to visit her birthplace in Xinjiang, China. The mixed Chinese-Ukrainian grandmother collapsed with a cerebral hemorrhage two days after arriving in Kunming on March 4th.

Her daughter Elena Lanteigne and son have been stranded in China for three weeks watching their mother remain in an induced coma. Daily ICU costs reach $1,000 CAD, creating a crushing financial burden for the retired couple's modest means.

The family faces impossible choices. An air ambulance to Vancouver costs $400,000 CAD. Commercial flight stretcher service runs $108,800 CAD but poses dangerous risks due to her brain injury and altitude pressure concerns.

Avoutova's doctor recommends waiting months for the brain bleeding to reabsorb before safe travel. The family relies on Google Translate for communication with Chinese physicians.

Without travel medical insurance, the family depends on a GoFundMe that has raised $16,000 toward their goal. Avoutova, known as "babushka" to her four grandchildren, briefly opened her eyes recently offering hope to her worried family.