Barbara Piscitelli was at her home in Airlie Beach in Queensland on 26 November when she suddenly started feeling sick. She threw up and collapsed on the floor.
It was early morning in Piedmont in Italy when her family received this news.
"A friend of Barbara's from Brisbane called my mom at 8.30 am, in tears, saying that my sister had been rushed to the hospital. My mother, frightened, immediately called me.
“As soon as she gave me the news, the world collapsed on me,” Alessandra Piscitelli, Barbara's sister told SBS Italian.
Barbara Piscitelli was rushed to the hospital where doctors said she had suffered a stroke, and she underwent surgery.
For the first few days after the surgery, she talked and seemed to feel well, but then she stopped doing it.
Her family in Italy, worried about her condition and desperate to be with her, has been making preparations to travel to Australia. With Australia’s international border closed to foreign nationals due to the pandemic, the family was expecting an uphill battle in securing visas and exemptions from entry ban.
Barbara and Alessandra in a selfie taken in Italy. Source: Alessandra Piscitelli
However, they were surprised at the pace that their case was dealt with.
"We got the passports in five days. We were told the visas could take up to a month, but we got two out of the three in just four days", says Alessandra Piscitelli.
But the real roadblock for the family is the cost of their travel. Alessandra Piscitelli and her father are planning to travel to Australia first. They will be required to quarantine for 14 days upon their arrival here.
“We discovered that we had to cover the costs of the quarantine, around $2800 per person. There is no way out of that,” she says.
The quarantine cost is not their biggest expense, and the family is willing to pay for it. It’s the flights that they say are unaffordable.
“In this time of the pandemic, flights are getting more and more expensive. One-way flights were from $2100 but jumped to $6500 within an hour. We are getting anxious about this.”
While she says they worry every moment for Barbara and are desperate to be with her to give the care she needs, the flight cost is a major impediment.
Barbara celebrates with her father, in Italy Source: Alessandra Piscitelli
"The thing that terrifies us the most now is the flight. These flight fares keep on increasing. It's shocking; I can't understand it."
Lately, a friend has been caring for Barbara Piscitelli, and it seems to have given her new energy and enthusiasm. She has begun to respond well to physiotherapy and speech therapy. The family hopes their presence will make a big difference to Barbara's recovery.
Her father could leave for Australia in a couple of days, to then spend the Christmas holidays alone in quarantine, and Alessandra will follow suit. Her mother, who has never taken a plane before and is afraid of flying, is still waiting for exemption from the ban on entering into Australia, so she might have to travel alone.
But these are obstacles that the family is ready to face, with the help of friends, relatives and acquaintances who have given the emotional and financial support. They have also put in place an online fundraiser that in 10 days has raised over $18,000.
"We are super happy to feel the love and support of a lot of people, every day," Alessandra says with gratitude.
"I hope we'll be able to pay for the quarantine fees and the one-way flights for me, mum and dad."
