‘It’s a miracle’: How a Croydon church group rallied to help an Ecuadorean student after horror brain cancer diagnosis

When a tumour was discovered in an Ecuadorean student’s brain, his family had no idea how they would make it across the globe to be with him. Here is how a Croydon church group rallied for a family they had never met.

International student Mauricio Cando was diagnosed with brain cancer while he was studying in Australia.

When Ecuadorean exchange student Mauricio Cando stopped contacting his family, his brother Marco knew something was terribly wrong.

A brotherly intuition which — unfortunately — proved to be correct.

“He is a big family man and it was unusual for him not to contact us,” Marco Cando said.

When Marco finally got a hold of his brother on a video call he was shocked to discover “the brother (he) used to know” had been replaced by a malnourished figure with blood shot eyes and a large lump on his nose.

In a frantic panic Marco contacted the Ecuadorean embassy for help, with officials eventually finding Mr Cando alone and confused in his share house — having not eaten for four days.

He was taken to St Vincent’s Hospital where the cause of his state was revealed as a 5cm brain tumour that would be “very difficult” to operate on.

The Western Spanish Seventh-day Adventist Church in Croydon helped Mauricio and his family.

Marco did not have a passport nor did he meet any of the travel requirements to be by his brother’s bedside.

It took months for the family to fundraise enough money in Ecuador to afford flights to Melbourne, all while Mauricio’s cancer was rapidly advancing.

“He couldn’t remember us, he couldn’t remember how to speak English, he only could remember his mum’s voice and would call out to her,” Marco said.

“All we could do was just pray to God everyday for help.”

And thankfully, their prayers were answered.

During the desperate search for help for his brother, Marco was put in contact with the Western Spanish Seventh-day Adventist Church in Croydon in Melbourne’s east.

The church members, who had never metthe family, then started visiting him Mr Cando in hospital, bringing him food, shaving his face and caring for him as Marco looked for a way to get to Australia.

“It is a miracle the amount of help we received from the hospital and from the church,” Marco said.

“Our faith in God has increased due to him opening doors and looking after Mauricio when things seemed impossible.”

Paramedics took Mauricio to hospital.

Mr Cando underwent 25 radiation treatments and nine chemotherapy sessions at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre after two more tumours formed in his brain.

Marco and his wife Gemma Guerrero were eventually granted approval to come to Australia to be by Mr Cando’s bedside, with the church members finding them somewhere to stay.

Church members began visiting Mauricio.

Mr Cando and his family will have to leave Australia by February 26, regardless of whether he goes into remission from his cancer or not.

The church has planned a fundraiser to pay for his continued treatment when he returns to Ecuador.

“There is no Medicare, only the people with money can receive help,” Marco said.

“A medicine that Mauricio needs daily costs $13,000 USD for a month in Ecuador, here with Medicare it is only $31.”

Marco and Gema were finally able to make it to visit Mauricio in Melbourne.

Mauricio will travel home with Marco and Gema.

The fundraiser will be held at church at 17-19 Surrey Rd, Croydon on Sunday January 26 from 2pm.

The family has also created a GoFundMe to help pay for treatment.

Mauricio is looking forward to reuniting with his mum, his other siblings and his dog when he returns to his home town of Quito, Ecuador.

He will find out on Tuesday whether his treatments have worked and whether he will be in remission.