Hotel bills add to family woes after Gary Ralph kept in quarantine

All the family of this man want is for him to be able to come home after having life-extending brain surgery in Sydney. Instead he’ll be forced into Brisbane hotel quarantine.

Sydney surgeon Charlie Teo with Logan’s Gary Ralph after the brain surgery.

The family of a man locked up in quarantine days after life-extending brain surgery is continuing to beg the state government to let him go home, in an effort to keep down hotel bills and so he can get home-cooked meals.

■ PM STEPS IN TO HELP LIFT QUARANTINE FOR BRAIN CANCER SUFFERER

■ MAP SHOWS COOMERA CONNECTOR GOING THROUGH DAISY HILL

Logan man Gary Ralph has been in quarantine in a Brisbane hotel since Tuesday, when he returned from Sydney where he had the surgery under the careful eye of eminent doctor Charlie Teo.

Since then, his wife Wendy Child and daughter Amanda Wong and relative Jessica Ralph have lobbied the state government to allow him to convalesce at home.

Dr Teo also wrote to the state government asking it to allow Mr Ralph to return home to complete the quarantine period.

Hotel bills for the 14-day stay at the 4.5-star South Brisbane hotel could mount to nearly $4000, which the family would have to pay on top of the medical bills and time in Sydney.

Gary Ralph with his wife Wendy Child while in hospital in Sydney.

Deputy Premier Steven Miles promised to look into the case on Wednesday and Prime Minister Scott Morrison weighed in on Thursday, but the couple remain in a Brisbane hotel.

Wendy Child, second left, with PM Scott Morrison and Forde MP Bert van Manen.

Mr Miles said the state exemptions team had 27,000 requests to deal with but he believed the matter could have been handled better.

Ms Wong said her father’s condition caught the family unaware three weeks ago when their lives were turned upside-down and he was given the tragic diagnosis of months to live.

CHECK OUT THE BARGAIN WINE DEALS FOR CHRISTMAS

LOGAN DEAL: SUBSCRIBE FOR $1

“The first hotel was not even able to co-ordinate his meals with the times he has to take his medications,” Ms Wong said.

“The food was also too hard and difficult for him to swallow and was not safe.

“He scraped all the skin from his hand after bumping into a wall because he is not used to the hotel room layout.

“All we want is for him to be able to go home and stay there, where we know it’s safe.”

Wendy Child at the front of their Windaroo Cottage wedding venue.

Last night, the Logan community rallied behind Mr Ralph, with former mayor Luke Smith working to ensure the family’s requests were heard.

“We are good friends,” Mr Smith said.

“When I met Gary 12 months ago, he was a fit and strong man — this has all happened so suddenly.

“I called the hotel manager because the food they were serving was too hard for Gary to swallow and it was not the right place for him.”

Former Logan mayor Luke Smith with Wendy Child at cancer fund raising event Relay for Life.

Mr Ralph and Ms Child are well known in Logan where they have both worked helping raise cancer research funds and for local charities.

The couple had run Windaroo Cottage wedding and function venue.

Originally published as Hotel bills add to family woes after Gary Ralph kept in quarantine