Alex Shorey: Extraordinary mission hatched to bring poisoned UQ student home for life saving treatment

A Toowoomba uni student who has been fighting for his life after ingesting rat poison is on his way home to receive lifesaving medical treatment.

Australian man Alex Shorey is expected to arrive back in Queensland tonight, Wednesday, April 03, after spending a number of weeks gravely ill in Taiwan, with a huge help from a Sunshine Coast aviation company headed by Simon McDermott. Picture: Contributed and file

A retrieval mission to bring a gravely ill Toowoomba man home from Taiwan is under way, with the young man expected to touchdown on Wednesday night after spending weeks fighting for his life in a Taipei hospital.

University of Queensland marketing and language student Alex Shorey was on his dream scholarship exchange program in East Asia when he was inadvertently poisoned with Super Warfarin – a highly toxic rat poison.

The man’s family raised more than $200,000 for a specialised charter flight to transport the critically injured 24-year-old man back to Australia to access vital medical treatment.

Toowoomba man Alex Shorey is expected to arrive back in Queensland tonight, Wednesday, April 03, after spending a number of weeks gravely ill in Taiwan.

Managing director of Noosa aviation company Machjet International, Simon McDermott said after days of planning his team was ready to bring Alex home.

“There has been a bit of logistics involved in this one because we’ve had to use three pilots and swap them out, (so) basically leave one pilot in Darwin and then fly through and then vice versa on the way back so there’s no delay in the process,” he told ABC Southern Queensland.

After spending two weeks and two days in a hospital abroad, Alex is expected to arrive at the Gold Coast on Wednesday, May 3.

Alex is in such as bad state that he cannot fly on a commercial flight as he needs high pressure oxygen and the support of a specialised medical team.

A GoFundMe campaign created to bring Alex home raised $208,682 in less than two days, quickly exceeding the required $170,000.

The Shorey family attempted three flights, but each was cancelled due to Alex’s deteriorating condition.

Machjet International, Simon McDermott, who manages Australia’s largest privately owned and operated aviation company. Photo Patrick Woods / Sunshine Coast Daily.

Alex’s brother Jean-Luc Shorey, 26, said his brother fell ill on his birthday, and their father, Toowoomba doctor Stephen Shorey flew overseas to help treat his son.

“It’s started out as a nosebleed and blood in his urine so we weren’t really sure what is was at first,” he said.

“The longer it took to diagnose, he was getting his kidney, liver, lungs, and heart damage.

“Because the blood had perforated his muscles he started getting black spots all over his body as the blood seeped into his muscles.

“All his symptoms were very strange.”

Jean-Luc Shorey, 26, and his little brother Alex Shorey, 24.

The family was apprehensive to launch the online fundraiser and was overwhelmed and shocked by the community’s willingness to help.

Alex’s mother, Julie Shorey posted a message of gratitude online thanking those who contributed to her son’s return to Australia.

“Steve, Julie, Alex, and his brother Jean-Luc are completely humbled by your messages of support and for the incredible financial help you have given, enabling us to now fly Alex home with the medical support he needs,” she said.

Originally published as Alex Shorey: Extraordinary mission hatched to bring poisoned UQ student home for life saving treatment