Family's battle to save Aussie found with mystery brain injury in Indonesia

The family of a young Adelaide man say they are desperately trying to get him home to Australia after he was found unconscious on a remote road in Indonesia.

EXCLUSIVE: The family of a young Adelaide man say they are desperately trying to get him home to Australia after he was found unconscious on an isolated road in Indonesia.

Exactly what happened to 23-year-old Jaxen Day remains unknown.

His father, Allan Day, told nine.com.au that Jaxen was found unconscious by a local fisherman late last month on the Indonesian island of Lombok, east of Bali.

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"He was just lying on the road and his motorbike was right beside him," Allan said.

"Neither had a mark or scratch on them. Nothing."

The fisherman managed to alert a nearby security checkpoint, and, from there, he was taken unconscious to, and rejected by, two medical clinics in Kuta, Lombok, before a third accepted him and he was placed on a saline drip.

It wasn't until Jaxen did not regain consciousness for several hours that staff at the clinic realised the seriousness of the situation, Allan said.

"He was in a coma, but they didn't realise it because there were no marks on him."

Staff put out a post on a local Facebook page asking if anyone knew the injured Australian.

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Jaxen had travelled extensively in Asia, and was supposed to be taking this trip with a friend, but their plans fell through at the last minute. For the first time, he was travelling alone, Allan said.

Luckily, the online appeal was spotted by someone at the hostel where Jaxen was staying. 

Recognising the 23-year-old, they alerted the hostel manager, who rushed to the clinic and immediately called Allan in Australia.

Allan was out walking when he received the devastating call.

"The hostel manager said 'Your son's here. He's in a coma, he's got to get to a hospital'," Allan said.

"It was absolutely horrible, I just thought, is this a dream, what's going on?

A dedicated hostel staff member rode in the ambulance with Jaxen, staying by his side all night at a hospital while the young Australian underwent emergency, life-saving brain surgery. 

Back in Australia, consulate staff rushed through emergency passports for Jaxen's parents, allowing them to board a flight the next day.

When they arrived in Lombok, Jaxen was yet to regain consciousness after his surgery. 

"We were basically told he is in a lot of danger, this is life-threatening stuff," Allan said. 

Jaxen remained unresponsive for some time, wrapped in tubes and wires. 

On the fourth day after his surgery, medical staff stopped his parents at the door of the ICU to show them a video they had just filmed. 

In the footage, Jaxen opened his eyes and spoke his own name.

"We fell absolutely fell apart, because we didn't know if he was going to wake up," Allan said.

Allan said Jaxen's doctors were just as puzzled about his brain injuries as they were.

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"The neurosurgeon showed us scans of his brain and he said the only way he could see how that sort of damage could occur is if his head was fiercely shaken - because it's all internal, there's no external trauma at all," Allan said.

"Something has happened to cause that injury but we don't know what."

Allan said the only other injury Jaxen had was a broken collarbone, which was not picked up for days.

For now, Jaxen's family are choosing to focus on his recovery, which is expected to be long and arduous.

The severe trauma initially left the right side of Jaxen's body paralysed, including his eyelid, arm, and leg. 

A month after the operation, Jaxen is still not able to use his right arm, though he has begun to regain some movement in his right leg. 

While his cognitive ability is improving, he was still suffering from lapses, his father said.

Despite the setback, his doctors have expressed hope that, with rehabilitation and time, he can fully recover from his injuries.

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The family now faces a logistical and financial nightmare. 

Jaxen did not have travel insurance, making a specialised medical evacuation flight financially impossible. 

His parents, who are both retired with limited funds, are working with commercial airlines to bring him home as soon as he is deemed fit to fly.

Jaxen's hospital bills in Indonesia have already climbed into the many tens of thousands of dollars, and the family is bracing for the substantial costs of long-term rehabilitation once they return to Australia.

Jaxen's best friend, Luka Jackway, has launched a crowdfunding campaign to help the family. 

"Jaxen is a quiet and determined young man who is kind, caring and compassionate," Luka said.

"He is motivated and independent, recently completing his studies to teach English as a foreign language. Jaxen has been travelling throughout Asia with the intention of teaching in Cambodia as his next venture."

Allan said seeing his son clinging to life had crystallised what was important.

"I can tell you that nothing motivates you more than the love of your child," he said.

"You don't realise how strong that is until something like this happens, but you would do anything, you would just do anything."

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