A dying father will be able to say goodbye to his four children after kind-hearted Australians donated to fund their enormous mandatory quarantine bill.
The family, which is based in New South Wales, was given the green light to cross the border to their Queensland-based father Mark Keans but on Thursday were told they must pay $16,000 for transportation and quarantine.
The 39-year-old truck driver has succumbed to cancer and doctors say he might not live to see Christmas.
The government agreed to permit all of his kids to travel and see him after the story caused an outrage nationally.
However, they were only allowed to do so if they agreed to spend two weeks in hotel quarantine at their own expense.
In addition, they would only be able to see their father in full COVID-19-protective gear.
A father dying in a Brisbane hospital will be granted his "final wish" to say goodbye to his four children after a huge outpouring of support to fund the tragic farewell and a backflip by the Queensland government. #9Newshttps://t.co/U0A0JSKFHj
— Nine News Australia (@9NewsAUS) September 11, 2020
A donations page was launched with the aim of raising $30,000, but in no time it went past the target and paused after it hit $200,000.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison made a donation of $1000.
“Honestly cannot thank everyone enough for all the generous donations,” the GoFundMe fundraiser wrote.
“Mark’s family are so very appreciative and this will take the financial burden off of their shoulders so now they focus solely on Mark.
“Thank you again everyone.”
Queensland Health is standing behind its controversial decision.
“We are in the midst of a global pandemic and we need to protect our communities, especially the most vulnerable members,” it said in a statement.
“We understand the health directions in place are strict, but they are designed to protect Queenslanders.”
#UPDATE #TARGET AMOUNT REACHED OVERWHELMING AMOUNT OVER $200,000Thank you 🙏❤Help #MarkKeans get to see his family…
Posted by Lexi Smith on Thursday, September 10, 2020
Bruce Langborne, Mr. Keans’ father, told Sunrise that the family was incredibly grateful for everyone’s support and kindness.
“I can’t believe what’s happened, it’s unbelievable,” he said.
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