TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Alex Shorey, a 24-year old Australian exchange student who was poisoned and later medevaced from Taiwan, worked briefly as an online English teacher during his stay.

His reported employer, Elly Chen, manager of an online English teaching platform, Elly’s English, was the first to care for Shorey when he fell ill, taking him to the ER room for treatment, per Apple Daily.

Chen shared Shorey’s medical troubles in a Facebook post on the “Foreigners in Taiwan” discussion group. On Thursday (May 11) she met with Taipei District Prosecutors for two hours, detailing her interactions with Shorey, and a March 25 visit that led to his hospitalization.

In local media interviews, she said Shorey reported physical discomfort, nosebleeds, and loss of appetite. The following day, she received a call for help from Shorey, went to his residence and accompanied him to get medical treatment.

He asked her to contact his parents and online students, pledging to be back at work after two weeks of rest. She said she was blocked from his list of contacts from April 11.