An Australian dad has been left “fighting for life” after a motorbike crash in Bali.
The family of Remuna Avaemai, a former soldier who served in Afghanistan, are desperate to bring him home to the Gold Coast, but say he must pay $60,000 in medical bills before being released from hospital on top of a $150,000 fee to have him medically evacuated to Australia.
Remuna Avaemai’s former partner and mother to his child, Meg Sproule, has started a GoFundMe to raise the funds, describing the crash on Friday as “a forever-changing, heartbreaking accident”.
The tragic incident, where Mr Avaemai was said to have been knocked off his motorbike, happened a week before he was due to return home for his daughter Maeva’s 7th birthday.
Ms Sproule told news.com.au the 26-year-old suffered a traumatic brain injury despite wearing a helmet and is on life support.
After previously being in an induced coma, she said on Tuesday morning he showed signs of improvement.
“He nodded when the neurosurgeon asked if he could hear him,” she said. “He also has some eye flickering. There are positive signs that Remuna is still with us and fighting.”
Ms Sproule said the family were desperate to get Mr Avaemai home to Australia for high-quality medical care and to be with his six-year-old daughter – pleading for people to donate.
The family plan to use Medical Rescue Australia, based in Burleigh Heads, to bring Mr Avaemai home and Ms Sproule said Gold Coast University Hospital was preparing to receive him.
Ms Sproule previously told The Gold Coast Bulletin Mr Avaemai and his daughter Maeva had a “very unique connection”.
“The only thing he would want is to feel her presence and hear her words,” she said.
“Our biggest thing is trying to get him through this so he can continue making memories with Maeva. She has a very profound love for her dad and doesn’t understand what is going on at the moment.”
As of noon on Tuesday, $45,000 of a $200,000 fundraising goal had been raised.