Dubai: Homeless and hungry with a huge unpaid hospital bill, a 70-year-old American in the UAE is bracing for a blue Christmas.
Alan Clair Himes, who has worked in the Gulf for 18 years but is now living on dole, said he came to Dubai from another GCC country in January this year to establish a start-up. But things did not go as planned, and within a few days, he found himself unable to walk or work.
Lying on a hotel bed in terrible pain, he said he called an ambulance which took him to a hospital Emergency Room, where he was diagnosed with a broken back and left hip.
Himes said he visited two hospitals and was admitted to a third where he stayed for 98 days and ran into a bill of Dh231,000. “Unable to pay this bill, I sought employment in the UAE. But I have not been able to find any kind of job. I have no means of income as I am over 65 and no one is willing to employ me. I have lost all my pension, savings and investments in a failed business.”
Vicious cycle
Himes, who is taking each day as it comes and is temporarily staying in a Sharjah room thanks to a kind heart, said, “I am near to living on the streets with no food, no money and no chance for work in the UAE. I am desperate and alone.”
“My immediate family have all passed except my only daughter who lives in California with her family. As you know the economy in the US is not the best and they are struggling to get by,” he added.
Himes said his situation was like being in a vicious cycle, as he cannot fly back to the US unless he clears his bill, but he cannot pay the bill unless he finds a job.
Parish priest Rev Father Lennie Connully of St. Mary’s Catholic Church, told XPRESS, “Alan C. Himes visited us seeking help to tide over his abject condition, aggravated by his deteriorating physical and mental health. He deserves help on compassionate grounds.”
Hines said he is banking on hope. “I am not comfortable with the way things are in my life, but I am as festive as I can be in the belief that this is a temporary phase and I can move into the best part of my life. I know I will be alone this Christmas, but I am alive and I am grateful.”
If you wish to reach out to Alan Himes, write to: editor@xpress4me.com
