Ally Langdon broke down in tears on air after a family facing a $500,000 bill to bring their autistic son home from Japan revealed they could be forced to remortgage their home.
uncertain
they → break → home
Mel and Brad James flew with their three children to Tokyo Disney Resort earlier this month for 'the holiday of a lifetime' to celebrate their son Ryan's 18th birthday.
asserted
James → fly → birthday
Ryan, who has autism, had previously flown without issue but unexpectedly developed an intense fear of flying.
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who → have → flying
His refusal to board a domestic flight in Japan saw him deemed 'unfit to fly', meaning he would have to be granted a fit-to-fly certificate before he could return to Australia.
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he → board → Australia
The family will need to fork out at least $296,000 for a medical retrieval flight home, with sedation, intubation and other medical expenses likely to push the bill to $500,000.
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sedation → need → 500,000
'We'll pay whatever it takes to get our son home,' Mr James told A Current Affair.
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James → pay → Affair
'We work hard, and we'll be remortgaging the house and things like that, but it's not something that Mel and I really care about at this stage.'
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Mel → work → stage
Langdon was left in tears upon hearing about their predicament, saying: 'Guys, you're making me cry with that.'
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me → leave → that
A Current Affair host Ally Langdon broke down on air after a family facing a $500,000 bill to bring their autistic son home from Japan revealed they could be forced to remortgage their house
Mel and Brad James flew with their three children to Tokyo Disney Resort earlier this month for 'the holiday of a lifetime' to celebrate their son Ryan's 18th birthday
Langdon added: 'It's hard to believe you're in this situation right when a couple of days ago you were doing a beautiful holiday in Disneyland as a family.
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you → break → family
You shouldn't have to remortgage your house to bring your boy home.'
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You → have → boy
A GoFundMe has been launched to help the family cover the cost of Ryan's return, with more than $147,000 raised as of Wednesday.
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147,000 → launch → Wednesday
'For their 18-year-old son Ryan, who has autism and is absolutely obsessed with Mickey Mouse, visiting Disney in Japan was a dream come true,' organiser Janelle Goulding wrote.
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Goulding → have → Japan
'It was an opportunity to create precious memories together and for Ryan to experience the magic of Disney and the excitement of seeing his beloved Mickey Mouse.
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Ryan → create → Mouse
Mr and Ms James have remained in Tokyo with Ryan while their other two children returned to their home in New South Wales with their grandmother.
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children → remain → grandmother
Ms Goulding revealed Ryan 'will need to be sedated and transported home' on the specialist medical flight.
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Ryan → reveal → flight
The trip was going seamlessly until Ryan unexpectedly developed an intense fear of flying, despite having no issues on the journey over
'The quoted cost?
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Ryan → go → journey
This is a figure that no ordinary family could ever prepare for,' she wrote.
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she → prepare → that
The family had travel insurance but the unique nature of the emergency has left them in limbo.
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nature → have → limbo
Daily expenses and costly consultations to arrange safe travel have already left the family thousands of dollars out-of-pocket.
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expenses → arrange → pocket
Ms Goulding hoped the fundraiser would help take some of the financial burden off the family during the stressful time.
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fundraiser → hop → time
'Brad and Mel aren't asking for anything extraordinary.
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Brad → ask → anything
They simply want their son home, safe and surrounded by the people who love him,' she wrote.
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she → want → him
'Ryan travelled to Japan to experience the magic of Disney and meet his beloved Mickey Mouse.
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Ryan → travel → Mouse
Now, his family needs a little magic of their own.
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family → need → own
'Let's come together and show Brad, Mel and Ryan that they are not alone.'
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they → come → Brad
The Daily Mail has contacted the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for comment.
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Mail → contact → comment
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