My name is Mark Kilian and both my wife Anneli and I arrived in Sydney from our home in Los Angeles early Tuesday morning hoping to say good bye to my father who has terminal pancreatic cancer.  

We received permission to enter Australia from the Dept Of Home Affairs and a provisional quarantine exemption from NSW Health based on compassionate grounds. However QLD Health has rejected our quarantine exemption application multiple times. All we are hoping is to see my dad Frans before he passes and to say goodbye. Time is of the essence as he is not expected to last much more than a few days.

He was rushed to Robina hospital late Tuesday afternoon as his condition became critical after hearing that we would not be able to come and see him. My Mother who is 91 requires 24/7 care and although she has a wonderful carer, who along with my family has been wonderful and supportive, it has still been challenging since Dad's condition rendered him unable to care for her. 

We have a charter flight booked and paid for ready to fly us to the Gold Coast airport at any moment and escort us door to door to see my Dad. This was the prerequisite from NSW Health for granting us the provisional travel exemption. We are both fully vaccinated since April, me with Pfizer and my wife with Moderna and we have negative covid tests from our departure in Los Angeles as well as negative results from the swabs done at our arrival at Sydney Airport. 

My Dad's doctor emphasized in an appeal letter to QLD Health that we present a minimal health risk to the people of Queensland, and the Department Of Home Affairs determined that 'the circumstances outweigh the risk to the Australian community.' We are also supported by the United States consulate which in an appeal to QLD Health stated that 'we urge the Queensland government to also balance the compelling compassionate circumstances of this dying Australian citizen and his family against the extremely low risk to community public health.'

We are appealing to QLD Health to grant us the quarantine exemption based on compassionate grounds to have the opportunity of saying goodbye to my dying Father and to be able to be there to care for my Mother. 

Please help us,

Mark and Anneli