“Julian’s dream was to come to Australia and study English,” his mother Concepción Velasco tells SBS Spanish.
The young Colombian student arrived in Melbourne in September 2018 full of energy and excitement about his overseas adventure. However, two months into his trip, he began to feel ill, vomiting after eating and finding it hard to recover. He saw a doctor and was immediately admitted to hospital. By then it was December 2018.
Three months later, Julian remains hospitalized at Melbourne’s Austin Hospital with an undiagnosed medical condition.
Colombian student Julián Andrés Sáenz Velasco in Victoria, Australia. Source: Supplied
According to his mother, “Julian is in bad shape”. He has suffered infections, lost 28 kilos and currently his skin has a yellow tinge. He’s been subjected to multiple medical examinations and is under close observation by a team of specialists at the Austin which range from gastroenterologists to urologists, but to this date, none have been able to confirm the name or origin of Julian’s condition.
For the last three months Julian has been kept alive through sustenance delivered intravenously. His mother and friends are worried, noting that “in Colombia Julian never experienced any serious illnesses. Now all of his organs are showing signs of deterioration”.
“Fortunately Julian has Bupa [medical insurance used by international students]. We are waiting for the insurer to confirm whether it will cover the medical costs”.
Concepcion Velasco arrived in Melbourne in January 2019, shortly after finding out about her son’s condition. She used her savings and money loaned from friends and family to pay for her airfare to Australia.
Since arriving, she has never left her son’s site. Julian’s former roommates and Colombians in Australia and abroad have offered help Mrs Velasco, who doesn’t speak English and is overwhelmed by the situation.
“Deakin University has offered her free accommodation, close to the hospital so she can be with her son,” says Glenia Zuniga Orozco, one of the Colombians trying to help.
From one day to the next, the life of this Colombian family has been turned upside down. While Julian and his mother wrestle with uncertainty in Australia, his father and two younger siblings wait in Colombia for much anticipated news.
Julián (left) with his mother, father and two brothers. Source: Supplied
This Wednesday, his mother told SBS Spanish that doctors at the Austin Hospital told her “there was nothing left they could do for him in Australia”.
“They have told us that we should return to Colombia. They have assured us that they will prepare him adequately for the long plane trip, with all the tubes connected and he will likely need to be transported on a stretcher.”
But his mother is worried.
“It is a long trip that will put his health at risk. Also, in Colombia Julian no longer has medical insurance, so it’s unlikely they will be waiting for him in the airport when he arrives, and he needs immediate attention.
“We are worried that Julian’s condition will deteriorate on the flight, which takes more than 24 hours,” his mother says.
Austin Hospital in Melbourne Source: Wikipedia
“It is very sad what is happening to Julian and more so if they send him to Colombia – he will be in limbo,” says Glenia Zuniga Orozco.
Julian’s student visa expires mid-May, so to remain in Australia legally, he needs to apply for a new visa called Medical Treatment Visa.
His application will be considered by the Department of Immigration only if he can demonstrate that he has sufficient funds to cover all medical expenses arising from his treatment.
But it is impossible to identify the treatment that he needs at this stage as there is no conclusive diagnosis, making it harder to estimate medical costs.
Mrs Velasco and a group of Colombian friends have requested the Austin Hospital to transfer his health records to doctors in Colombia, to continue investigations into his medical condition, in case he can no longer remain in Australia.
Meanwhile, Julian and his mother are running out of time and money.
Otras noticias en español
SafeScript: el sistema que permitirá controlar el abuso de prescripciones en Australia
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