Australian student who unknowingly ingested rat poison speaks out from his hospital bed – as his 45-year-old girlfriend is investigated by police
- Alex Shorey, 24, ingested rat poison in Taiwan
- Student thanked people who helped him get home
- 45-year-old woman is being investigated for poisoning
An Australian exchange student who accidentally ingested rat poison in Taiwan thanked the people who helped him get home.
Alex Shorey, 24, was flown to Brisbane on Wednesday where doctors confirmed he had ‘very high levels of toxins’ in his body after taking it superwarfarin – a highly toxic poison that prevents the blood from clotting – just before Easter.
In a video taken by his family at Princess Alexandra Hospital in Queensland, the student thanked those who donated more than $200,000 to a GoFundMe to fly him back on a specialized medical evacuation aircraft.
Alex Shorey (left) fought for his life at Taipei Medical University Hospital in Taiwan after unknowingly ingesting rat poison
“Thank you everyone who helped me get home,” Mr Shorey said in the video that went through the ABC.
The University of Queensland exchange student had been in Taiwan for a year and was weeks away from returning to Australia when he developed black patches of skin and unusual bleeding.
He was admitted to the intensive care unit of Taipei Medical University Hospital on April 18.
After days of bleeding, Mr. Shorey went into hypovolemic shock, meaning his organs were at risk of failure from lack of blood.
A severe allergic reaction to vitamin K treatment in the hospital caused him to go into a cardiorespiratory collapse six days later.
His father, Stephen, said his son suffered another anaphylactic reaction shortly before leaving Taiwan.
“I believe his medical repatriation saved his life,” Dr Shorey said.
“While Alex still has a long way to go, his recovery is moving forward.
“He has a partially collapsed left lung, pericardial effusion and adrenal insufficiency from the steroids he was given to manage his reactions to the injectable vitamin K1.”
Mr Shorey’s parents raised more than $200,000 to charter a specialist medical evacuation flight to fly him to Princess Alexandra Hospital in Queensland
Alex Shorey’s father, Dr Stephen Shorey (left), said his son has ‘a long way ahead’
Dr. Shorey said his son is looking forward to returning to the family home in Toowoomba, 80 miles west of Brisbane, to “sit in the garden and pet his little puppy Barney.”
It comes as police in Taiwan are investigating a 45-year-old woman – reported in local media as Mr Shorey’s girlfriend – over suspected deliberate positioning.
Local media reports that rat poison was found in the woman’s home, similar to what was in Mr. Shorey’s system.
The woman is now the only suspect in a criminal investigation and is not allowed to leave the country.
Dr. Shorey said the family was aware that Taiwanese authorities are closely monitoring the circumstances surrounding Alex’s illness.
“We do not wish to prejudice the police initiation by making any further comments on this matter, other than to say that we are so thankful that our son is alive and we would like to hear the outcome of the investigation,” he said.