Toowoomba student on exchange in Taiwan is fighting for life after eating food laced with rat poison

An Australian exchange student fights for his life after accidentally eating rat poison – while his doctor dad rushed to his bedside to keep watch.

What started as a nosebleed turned into a horrific cardiorespiratory collapse last Monday for college student Alex Shorey while in Taipei, Taiwan, sending him to the ICU.

The Toowoomba student’s family believes the 24-year-old was poisoned after recently eating street food when he visited rural Taiwan.

The marketing and language student fell ill last month. He is in Taiwan to exchange his dream scholarship at Tamkang University in Taiwan.

His brother Jean-Luc Shorey said Alex’s symptoms, which got worse on his birthday earlier this month, were “really strange.”

Jean-Luc said Alex (pictured in hospital) was misdiagnosed with an immune disorder in Taiwan

“It started as a nosebleed and blood in his urine, so we didn’t know what it was at first,” Jean-Luc told the newspaper. Courier Mail.

He added that their father Stephen Shorey, who is a doctor in Toowoomba, flew to Taiwan as soon as Alex’s condition started to deteriorate.

Jean-Luc said Alex was misdiagnosed with an immune disorder in Taiwan.

“The longer it took to get diagnosed, the more he damaged his kidneys, liver, lungs and heart,” said Jean-Luc.

“Because the blood pierced his muscles, he got black spots all over his body as the blood seeped into his muscles.”

Once his father arrived in Taipei, he urged doctors to conduct stricter blood and plasma tests.

Jean-Luc said he couldn’t imagine what would have happened if his father hadn’t flown to his brother’s bedside.

Elizabeth Shorey-Kitson, Alex’s aunt, started a GoFundMe page to try to repatriate the young man back to Australia.

She said Alex’s condition has deteriorated and he will need to be flown to Sydney’s Royal Prince Albert Hospital via a specialist medical flight collection service.

Alex is unable to take a commercial flight home due to an anaphylactic reaction that has caused fluid to build up in his lungs.

Ms. Shorey-Kitson said Alex is at Taipei Medical University Hospital after another bad reaction to his treatment.

“The effects of the toxin, Super Warfarin, are catastrophic,” she said.

“Super Warfarin keeps the blood from clotting, so Alex’s body bleeds both externally and internally into his muscles and organs.”

The Toowoomba student’s family believes the 24-year-old was poisoned after he recently ate street food or something else while visiting rural Taiwan.

The family has raised $125,240 so far Friday after the GoFundMe page launched two days ago (pictured, left to right, Jean-Luc, Alex, the boys’ grandmother and their mother)

“It is imperative that we make it [Alex] (pictured, right) home to prevent further damage to his organs and to give him the best chance of recovery,” said Alex’s aunt Elizabeth Shorey-Kitson

She added that the delay in diagnosis, language barriers in Taiwan and its severe responses to treatments have led to more complications, including “organ damage, respiratory failure and anemia.”

After his cardiorespiratory collapse last Monday, Alex is not expected to recover quickly.

“The medical services in Taiwan currently do not have the appropriate treatments or drugs to stabilize his condition,” said Ms Shorey-Kitson.

“So it’s imperative that we get him home to prevent further damage to his organs and to give him the best chance of recovery.”

The family has raised $129,680 so far Friday after the GoFundMe page launched two days ago.

They hope to meet their $172,000 goal, which will pay for the intensive medical team, flights, and ongoing medical and rehabilitation in Australia.