Alex Shorey to be flown home for treatment thanks to GoFundMe generous response

Thanks to the generosity of people responding to a GoFundMe request, Toowoomba student Alex Shorey will be flown home for vital medical treatment.

Toowoomba man and University of Queensland student Alex Shorey is fighting for life after suffering from a cardiorespiratory collapse while in Taiwan.

UPDATE: Toowoomba student Alex Shorey, who has been fighting for his life in Taiwan after accidentally ingesting rat poison, will be returning to Australia for urgent treatment after a GoFundMe campaign initiated by his family raised the required $170,000 for his medical flight overnight.

Mr Shorey’s aunt, Elizabeth Shorey-Kitson posted an update on the GoFundMe page early Saturday morning, announcing that the fundraising goal had been met and surpassed, and that Alex was expected to return to Australia within hours.

“We are so overwhelmed and humbled by the amount of love, support and kindness we have received, and thanks to the generosity of you all, our journey to bring Alex home is now underway!” Ms Shorey-Kitson said.

“Overnight, we have secured a flight with Medical Rescue and it is being packed and prepared to collect Alex as we speak.

“Thanks to each of you, the flight is booked, the specialist medical team is on deck, and Alex will soon be on his way home to receive the ongoing care he needs.”

As the GoFundMe campaign raised $208,682 before being closed for donations, Ms Shorey-Kitson added that the additional funds exceeding the required $170,000 will be donated to charity.

“Once we have Alex home, if there are any surplus funds from this GFM page, these will be paid forward via a donation to the Medical Rescue team to fund and support others who may need their urgent assistance and care,” she wrote.

Alex’s mother, Julie, who is in Taipei, also posted a message of gratitude on the GoFundMe page, 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,” the post read.

The family has attempted three flights over the past few weeks, but each was cancelled due to Alex’s deteriorating condition. The successful fundraising effort has finally provided the family with the financial means to secure specialised medical retrieval services.

“May each of you on this page know how much your support means to us. In just one day, your kind words and incredible gifts have lifted an unimaginable burden off us. You have made us cry and allowed us to smile for the first time in weeks,” the post continued.

EARLIER: A Toowoomba University of Queensland marketing and language student on his dream scholarship exchange program in Taipei is fighting for his life after he ate food laced with rat poison.

Four weeks ago Alex Shorey began to show symptoms on his birthday, however his health took a turn on Tuesday, April 24, when he suffered from a cardiorespiratory collapse.

Alex’s brother Jean-Luc Shorey, 26, said it was heartbreaking to see his fun-loving, kind and jokester younger brother not being able to speak, let alone smile.

Jean-Luc said his father, Toowoomba doctor Stephen Shorey, raced to Alex’s side three weeks ago.

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

“Dad was really worried and began franticly researching and doing his best to observably care for him while he was in Toowoomba.

“But when he got worse he realised it was serious and flew over.”

Toowoomba man and University of Queensland student Alex Shorey is fighting for life after suffering from a cardiorespiratory collapse while in Taiwan.

Alex spent weeks misdiagnosed as having an immune problem, but Jean-Luc said when his dad got to Taiwan he worked with the doctors and urged them to do more thorough blood and plasma tests.

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

Toowoomba brothers Alex and Jean-Luc Shorey. Picture: Supplied

“If dad hadn’t gone over there – he was so stressed he wasn’t sleeping in Toowoomba – as soon as he got over there I could tell he was just working really hard to make sure they took it seriously and figured it out.
“It would have been difficult if dad wasn’t there, I don’t really want to think about what would have happened if he wasn’t.”

Jean-Luc said Alex was only eating about every three days because he was on oxygen machine that is forcing oxygen into his lungs which are fluid logged.

“He was able to talk to me on the phone a couple of days ago… but only for small amounts of time because he’s very week,” he said.

“We suspect it was from him eating street food, or maybe something he ate when he visited the country side because they still use rat poison out there.”

The family first moved to Toowoomba in 2008 after Doctor Stephen Shorey worked as GP at a number of southwest Queensland towns.

Toowoomba brothers Alex and Jean-Luc Shorey. Picture: Supplied

Alex’s Aunty, Elizabeth Shorey-Kitson said her brother had not left Alex’s bedside and was so focused on Alex’s health that he hadn’t slept or eaten for days.

“If Stephen was not there Alex would not be here today. I have no doubt about that,” she said.

“It’s been very tough for him to see Alex in so my pain and suffering.

“He’s been working so hard ensuring Alex gets the help he needs, which is difficult because the hospital there is under resourced, with their staff and equipment.”
Alex Shorey’s family is fighting to get him home to Australia so he can receive the expert medical care that he desperately needs as his health continued to rapidly decline.

Mrs Shorey-Kitson created a GoFundMe to raise the $172,000 needed to fly him to the Royal Prince Albert Hospital in Sydney.
Mrs Shorey-Kitson said Dr Shorey, who was well respected in the Toowoomba community, became emotional when he heard about how well their fundraising campaigned was going after it cracked $1000,00 in just 24 hours.

“What was meant to be an opportunity of a lifetime, has ended in tragedy,” Ms Shorey-Kitson said.

“Alex is now in ICU in Taipei Medical University Hospital fighting for his life having experienced yet another life-threatening reaction to his treatment.”

The poison Super Warfarin, which stopes blood from coagulating, has caused the 24-year-olds organs and muscles to haemorrhage.

Ms Shorey-Kitson said 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.

“The medical services in Taiwan don’t currently have the right treatments or drugs to stabilise his condition,” she said.

“It’s imperative we get him home now to prevent any further damage to his organs and to give him the best chance of recovery.

“As a family, we are of course doing everything we can to raise funds, however if you are in a position to help, even with the smallest of donations, we will be eternally grateful.”

The GoFundMe raised $61,086 in one day – if you would like to help, click here.