We are the Colgan family. We have created this page and a petition to plead with the Australian Government to let our son Sean stay in Australia. It's the only home he knows.

Australia has been our home for almost eight years but sadly, we've been rejected from the country we call home because our son has a chronic disease.

Sean is 19 and he has Cystic Fibrosis.

It’s a disease he was born with but faces with bravery and positivity every single day. He is well most of the time and studying to be a Personal Trainer to inspire others and keep his lung function strong.

We’ve lived in Bunbury since we arrived in 2012, worked incredibly hard and our two beautiful children have graduated from Manea College. For the past 5 years, my husband Keith has been the chef at the Highway Hotel and I was the manager. We’ve built a life here and our children don’t know any other home.

We came to Australia from Ireland in 2012 on a 457 visa which was for 4 years. We then received a bridging visa. Never was Sean’s Cystic Fibrosis a deterrent.

However for the past 8 months, our family has been torn in two after receiving news that our 19-year-old son Sean would need to return to Ireland because his medical condition, Cystic Fibrosis, made him ineligible to stay in Australia.

At that point, we were told to expect a 3-month wait while new visa would be processed but then in July we were given a family split decision on the visa which meant that I had to remain in Ireland with Sean to await a further decision.

That decision has taken 7.5 months to make and during all that time we have been separated as a family.

Sean has been separated from his lovely girlfriend Ashlee and all his friends Bunbury. Sean’s father, Keith, and sister, Sarah, have also had to stay in Australia to keep our family afloat. I am heartbroken and lonely, so far from my husband, daughter and home. To now receive the news that Sean will never be allowed to return to live in Australia feels all too cruel.

How could it take almost 8 months to make that decision, all the while we have been apart and suffering emotionally and financially. I truly believe my son is a credit to his community in Bunbury. He is honest, driven and a great friend to many. Sure, medical care can be expensive but I can guarantee he is worth it.

We both work full-time and our daughter is a full-fee paying university student.

We host charity events, have raised funds for Australian CF research and we volunteer to help others in need. We have 10 days to appeal this decision which we will do. Ten days to fight to fight for our deserving son and we need to ask the community to support us.

Please help us #letseanstay.

Follow our story at www.facebook.com/letseanstay