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Tristan Xavier: Perth Man Fights for Life After Seizures on Bali Holiday, Left With Huge Medical Bill

A February 2024 report on Perth man Tristan Xavier’s seizures in Bali, the medical evacuation, the family’s cost figures, and what Australian government advice says about medical evacuation cover.
From TheFinanceBase Team4 min to read
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Tristan Xavier, a 25-year-old from Perth, began having seizures while on a family holiday in Bali. According to a PerthNow report published on 7 February 2024, his condition worsened in hospital in Indonesia, he was intubated and placed on life support, and his family arranged a medical evacuation to Perth, where he was admitted to intensive care. The family said hospital costs had risen above A$110,000, and a relative’s GoFundMe had raised A$15,400 at the time of that report.

The story is a February 2024 snapshot. The cause of the seizures was not known in the family’s account, and this article does not include a verified update on his recovery or a final bill. The sections below separate what was reported from what remains unknown, and explain what Australian government advice says about paying for medical care in Indonesia.

What was reported in February 2024

PerthNow’s report by Kayla Sellwood, dated 7 February 2024, sets out the sequence as the family described it:

  • Onset: Xavier, then 25 and from Perth, was holidaying in Bali with family when seizures began.
  • Hospital treatment in Indonesia: He was taken to hospital. As his condition deteriorated, doctors intubated him and placed him on life support.
  • Evacuation: While he remained on life support, the family arranged a medical evacuation to Australia.
  • Arrival in Perth: He landed in Perth and was taken to an intensive care unit. The fundraiser update quoted in the report said he was still on life support and that the family was praying for his recovery.

These are publication-time statements from February 2024. They are the family’s account as reproduced by PerthNow, not a clinical record, and the report does not include a hospital statement.

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What the family said about the hospital and the cause

Sharyn Xavier, Tristan’s mother, told Daily Mail Australia, as quoted by PerthNow: “We don’t know what was causing them and the hospital staff in Indonesia couldn’t help him. They just couldn’t help him.”

She also said: “It went on for nine days.”

Two points matter for readers. First, the cause of the seizures was not established in that account, so the report does not say what medical condition, if any, was behind them. Second, the criticism of the Indonesian hospital is the family’s own view. Neither the report nor the sources behind this article contain an independent assessment of the care he received, and nothing here should be read as a finding about the hospital’s capacity or the treatment it chose.

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The money: what the figures mean

Three numbers appear in the coverage. Each carries a different level of certainty.

Figure Value Who gave it, and when What it represents
Hospital costs More than A$110,000 Attributed by PerthNow to the family’s fundraiser, February 2024 A described cost at that point. It is not presented as a final or independently audited bill, and the final amount has not been published in the sources this article draws on.
Amount raised A$15,400 Reported by PerthNow at publication, February 2024; the GoFundMe was launched by relative Michelle Allen A snapshot of donations on the date of the report. It is not a final total.
Illness duration Nine days Stated by Sharyn Xavier in the family account quoted by PerthNow, February 2024 The family’s description of how long the illness lasted. No medical record confirms it.

The report also says the family borrowed money to pay for the evacuation flight. That detail is the family’s own statement and the report does not give a cost for the flight.

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What Australian government advice says about medical costs in Indonesia

The Australian Government’s Smartraveller Indonesia travel advice was marked current at 7 October 2026 when it was accessed. It states that there is no Australia–Indonesia agreement for free healthcare, so tourists must pay for medical care, including hospital stays and evacuation. It says the Australian Government will not pay those costs.

The advice also warns that overseas medical care can be very expensive, and that hospitals may ask a family member or next of kin to guarantee payment, ask for proof of insurance, or require a deposit. Those are the practical pressures a family can face at the bedside, before any insurance claim is settled.

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On insurance, Smartraveller says:

“Get comprehensive travel insurance before you leave and closely read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) for what is and isn’t covered.”

And:

“It must cover all medical costs overseas, including evacuation. The Australian Government will not pay for these costs.”

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This is general preparation guidance. It does not establish whether Xavier held insurance, or whether any particular policy would have covered his treatment or evacuation.

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Checking your own cover before a trip

If you are travelling to Indonesia or anywhere else overseas, these are the policy points that determine whether a medical emergency like this one is covered:

  1. Find the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS). The policy summary is not enough. Read the PDS, which sets out what is and is not covered.
  2. Confirm medical evacuation cover. Look for the wording “medical evacuation” or “emergency transport” and check whether there is a cap on the amount payable and whether the cover includes repatriation to Australia.
  3. Check the destination and trip details. Confirm the policy covers Indonesia and the type of trip you are taking, including activities you plan to do.
  4. Review pre-existing condition terms. Find out how the insurer defines a pre-existing condition, what it excludes, and whether you must declare conditions before buying cover.
  5. Understand how payment works. Check whether the insurer will pay the hospital directly or whether you must pay first and claim back. Keep receipts and the insurer’s emergency assistance number on hand.
  6. Plan for a hospital deposit. Confirm with your insurer whether it will guarantee payment to a hospital, and what documents the hospital will accept as proof of cover.

What remains unknown

  • The cause of the seizures and the diagnosis that followed.
  • Whether Xavier had travel insurance, and if so, the policy’s terms.
  • The final hospital and evacuation bill, and how much of it has been paid.
  • The final total raised by the fundraiser.
  • Xavier’s medical outcome after he reached Perth. The report predates any later update.

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