Hi everyone, my name’s Declan. I’m raising money for Ardi - the man who helped rescue my wife in Bali and is now facing prison after sacrificing everything to save his foster child’s life.

Just a few days ago, on Monday February 2nd, my wife Julia and I experienced something that could have ended very differently if it wasn’t for one man - a complete stranger who stepped in to help us.

After getting to know Ardi a bit more and finding out about his situation, I felt compelled to try and help.

How We Met Ardi

I had ordered a Grab car (Bali’s version of Uber) for my wife Julia so she could head back to our villa while I stayed behind for a longer appointment.

As we walked outside, I saw what I believed was our driver parked directly in front.

I approached the car and asked if he was our Grab. He said yes, explaining the app had for some reason cancelled but he could still take the trip for cash.

Something in my gut did feel slightly off. So I started asking him questions - where he had driven from, which road he came down, details about the booking. He answered everything correctly.

In my mind, I rationalised that perhaps the booking had cancelled because my phone had disconnected from the restaurant Wi-Fi as we walked outside. I also felt some comfort knowing he was, after all, a Grab driver on the platform... or so I thought.

Not wanting to waste his time if he had already driven all the way to pick her up, I reluctantly agreed.

Because of that slight gut feeling, I instinctively went to write down the number plate as the car pulled away, just in case.

That’s when my heart started beating a little faster. There was no number plate on the car.

Only a few minutes later, things escalated.

Realising Something Was Wrong

The real grab driver showed up - it was Ardi.

That slight bad feeling in my stomach got a lot worse.

I explained everything to him: the tattoos down the guys arm, tinted windows, black car, no number plate.

The happy, smiling man suddenly looked like he’d seen a ghost. He knew something was very wrong.

Straight away, I asked him:

“Can you help me? Are you a good scooter driver?”

Without hesitation, Ardi rushed to help.

The Chase

In a bit of a panic, we jumped on a scooter, and took off through Bali traffic.

We were weaving between cars, trucks and scooters at dangerous speeds.

As we sped off, I remember yelling in a mixture of panic and anger, urging Ardi to keep up the pace, praying, asking God to keep Julia safe.

There were countless roads they could have taken. It felt like trying to find one car in a maze.

But Ardi the legend genuinely rode like it was his own family in danger. Focused, fearless, urgent.

Every black car we saw, I whipped my head around looking for a missing plate.

Then, after around 10 minutes of chasing, as we approached a red light with traffic backed up, he suddenly shouted and pointed: “IS THAT THEM?!”

I jumped off the scooter before it stopped and ran toward the car. He yelled behind me in his broken English: “NO AGGRESSIVE - CALM, CALM!”

Looking back, I’m glad he said this.

I opened the front passenger door so the driver couldn’t drive off without me. Julia was in the back, confused but safe. I told her to get out immediately. She did, and I grabbed her in overwhelming relief. Ardi, visibly shaken and emotional, stood there repeating to her: “You’re safe… you’re safe…”

We all embraced in a big group hug on the side of the road... a moment I'll always remember.

A Selfless Man

Afterwards, I reached for my wallet to thank him, embarrassed to find I only had about $6 AUD on me. He refused it.

He said: “I didn’t help for money. I helped because it’s my duty to help others.”

Last night (February 5th), we took him to dinner and gifted him the equivalent of a few hundred Australian dollars - roughly a month’s wage locally.

He was visibly emotional accepting it.

It was at that dinner that I learned about his life… and the crisis he is now facing.

His Reality

Ardi is a father of 3 and cares for 6 foster children.

He works as a driver in Bali for most of the year, living away from his family so he can send money home to Java, where they live.

Recently, one of his foster daughters was the victim of a hit-and-run scooter accident while walking.

She suffered severe brain trauma. Emergency surgery was the only way to save her life.

Ardy didn’t hesitate. To pay for the surgery, he pawned his car the very car he uses to work, not realising the legal consequences because it was still under finance.

He acted in desperation to save a child’s life.

The surgery saved her.

But his life began to fall apart.

The Consequences

Without his car:

When he explained to the bank that he pawned the car to pay for emergency brain surgery for his foster child…

They involved the police.

He has now been given an unclear amount of time, somewhere between one and two weeks - to recover the vehicle and resolve the situation, or he faces likely imprisonment.

Why This Matters

This man is clearly not a criminal.

This is a man who:

Now he's the one in danger.

How Funds Will Help

We are aiming to raise $5,000 AUD to:

A Personal Message

I truly believe Julia’s safety on February 2nd was not luck... It was because Ardi stepped in without hesitation when I needed help most.

Now he needs help.

If you can contribute anything at all -big or small - it will go directly toward keeping this man free, working, and able to care for the 9 children who depend on him.

Thank you for reading, sharing, and supporting ❤️

Transparency Note

Since GoFundMe doesn’t operate in Indonesia, all funds will be received by me (Declan) in Australia and transferred directly to Ardi in Indonesia to redeem his vehicle, cover arrears, prevent legal consequences, and continue supporting his family.

Full transparency and proof of transfer will be provided to donors.