George is a freelance writer from England, living and work in Tokyo. He had been diagnosed with Hepatitis C (HCV) and was receiving treatment at a nearby hospital. However, after his regular doctor left the hospital, the replacement refused to treat George due to the language barrier, despite the fact the hospital had an interpreter on staff. Instead, she gave George a list of Tokyo hospitals that could treat liver problems. Looking at the list, George knew finding a new hospital on his own would be difficult.
While researching his options, George first came across JHI. Using the list from the previous doctor, JHI cut down the number of hospitals to only those who would best fit George’s needs and then arranged an appointment at hospital of his choice.
On top of that, he says, “JHI informed me that my ward operated a support program for HCV patients in need of interferon treatment. She told me exactly what I would need from the ward office, filed the forms when I mailed them to her, and then set up an appointment for me at the ward office handling the support program.”
George feels like he has benefitted greatly from JHI’s member services. He is waiting for final results of the interferon treatment, but for now he is free of the HCV virus. “I don’t think I could have done it on my own.”