An Australian who suffered horrific injuries after a home invasion in Bali has said he is just ‘happy to be alive’ after surviving the terrifying ordeal. 

Victorian man Joe has lived ‘back and forth in Bali over the last couple of years’, he told Daily Mail Australia. 

But he and his girlfriend were the victims of a shocking crime at 2am on October 17 in a ‘robbery and attempted murder’ at his rented home on the holiday island.

‘An Indonesian man wearing a mask came into my home with a large knife while I was sleeping. I woke up shocked, in the dark, staring at him standing in my room,’ Joe, 39, said. 

He jumped out of bed, grabbed the blade of the knife the home invader was holding and fought for his life. 

The man was yelling ‘punya temen’ at him, which means ‘I have friends’. 

‘He ran away smashing my head with a picture frame while I chased him,’ Joe, whose hands were lacerated by the blade, said.

As well as being severely injured, his phones, passport, laptop, wallet, bank cards, some clothing and his glasses were stolen – they were all in a bag as he was due to go on a trip later that day. 

Australian Joe (pictured) suffered horrific injuries in a home invasion in Bali, but said he is just ‘happy to be alive’ after surviving the terrifying ordeal

Adding to his extreme distress, nobody answered when his girlfriend called the police and ambulance, and he had to get help from workers in a mini mart to take him to a hospital. 

He needed surgery but didn’t want to have it in Bali due to the extent and intricate nature of his wounds. 

Joe didn’t have insurance, but that wasn’t the only reason he didn’t want have the treatment he needed done in Bali. 

‘I’ve heard not to, I’ve heard from friends, never to get surgery in Bali,’ he said. 

‘Even though the thief took all my stuff, including my passport, I was sure there (would be) some sort of system set up so I can get on the flight (back to Australia).

‘But apparently not. So that’s why my sister flew over and we had to order an emergency passport.’

With his sibling’s help he was able to fly back to Australia a week later, where he had surgery on both hands at Charles Gairdner Hospital in Perth. 

‘The surgeon did four surgeries and repaired the two cut tendons in my middle finger, the broken meta carpal and cut nerve in my right thumb,’ he said. 

He needed surgery but didn’t want to have it in Bali due to the extent and intricate nature of his wounds

Unlike his experience in Bali, Joe said he is now ‘super happy and happy with Australia, the systems, the hospital, Medicare, I’m happy with my family support’.

He has since been discharged from hospital, but will need three months of hand therapy and medication such as antibiotics and anti-inflammatory and anti-nerve pain tablets. 

He has set up a GoFundMe as all the stolen items, medical bills, emergency documents and last minute flights have already cost him more than $20,000.

‘It’s a little embarrassing’ to have set up the fundraiser, he said but if people can help in any way he will ‘be forever grateful. 

‘If you cannot that’s also alright, I’m just happy to be alive.’

Joe’s fingers are now moving, but he will have to spend a lot of time doing  hand exercises in the coming months to make sure his tendons are working and moving through the scar issue. 

He doesn’t know who attacked him and didn’t think he had any enemies, but has wondered if someone noticed that he lived in a nice rental, with nice furniture. 

‘It’s hard because I don’t want my mind to go down this track,’ he said. 

There are ‘two sides’ to the recovery process, Joe said.

‘The surgeon did four surgeries and repaired the two cut tendons in my middle finger, the broken meta carpal and cut nerve in my right thumb,’ he said

‘The physical side I’m happy about just because the doctors have joined the tendons back together and been really confident with my recovery.

‘The other side is just the emotional side because I’ve never really been through anything this heavy.

‘I’m struggling to turn the light off at night, to go to sleep.’

While the Bali police eventually made a report into what happened, ‘they’ve been hopeless,’ he said. 

‘I have CCTV of the thief and his fingerprints and given authorities serial numbers of everything stolen, but (they’ve done) nothing.’

Despite his dreadful, life-threatening experience, Joe said ‘I still love the people and culture (of Bali).

‘I think the majority of people there are good, but people, especially Aussies, need to know if they’re going there on vacation, there is crime.’