- Jesse Ramien’s newborn son Teo is in a Bali hospital
- Footy star is trying to raise $130,000 to get him home
- Teo was born six weeks premature and struggled to breathe
NRL star Jesse Ramien has made a emotional plea to the Australian Government for a flight back to Australia from Bali after his newborn son had to be resuscitated for five minutes when born.
The footy community is rallying around Ramien and his fiancee Shell after their baby Teo was born six weeks premature in a Bali hospital and struggled to breathe.
Teo has been placed in an incubator and the Sharks star has reached out to the Australian Embassy to source a care-flight back to Australia with an estimated bill of $130,000.
A GoFundMe page for Teo has been made by teammate Royce Hunt’s wife Shavaun to help cover the cost of getting the family back on Australian soil.
Donations have already been made by Sharks stars Briton Nikora ($1000) and Nicho Hynes ($1500) to meet the cost.
Raimen and Shell are still yet to hold Teo for fear of infection and left to look at him through the incubator during their visiting timeslots in Siloam Hospital in Bali.
‘I’ll play for nothing just to get our baby boy home safely,’ Raimen said.
‘There’s just so much uncertainty here. We’ve been told by doctors it could be four weeks before our baby is okay to travel, but that could quickly change to five, six, or seven weeks, who knows.
Footy star Jesse Ramien has made a plea to the Australian Government for a flight back to Australia from Bali for his newborn baby Teo
Teo was born six weeks premature and struggled to breathe, having to be resuscitated for five minutes (Ramien pictured with wife Shell)
‘We’re doing everything to contact the Australian Embassy to see how we can get home both as quickly as possible, so that our boy can get the medical attention he needs.’
The harrowing drama began when Shell, who had been cleared by her Obstetrician to travel, went into early labour on Friday and doctors were forced to perform an emergency C-section.
‘That was so worrying being in another hospital in another country,’ Ramien said.
‘I wasn’t allowed into the room to be with Shell. It was difficult, especially for Shell.’
Teo was born just after 11pm and doctors spent five minutes reviving him as he struggled to breathe.
A care-flight back to Australia has an estimated bill of $130,000 and a Go Fund Me has been set up for donations
‘It’s been really hard to get some answers, because as every parent knows, you just want the best care for your baby, it’s certainly been scary for Shell,’ Ramien said.
‘The unfamiliarity of the medical system here and that ability to communicate our concerns in Bali only adds to the stress and emotion around this.’
Footy stars like Josh Addo-Carr and Latrell Mitchell have been spreading the word about the GoFundMe page.
