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A woman who is sick every time she eats thanks to a course of antibiotics she took three years ago is desperately trying to raise money for life-changing treatment so she 'can be normal'.
When 22-year-old Emma became ill ‘out of the blue’ in 2019, she had no idea how much her life was about to change.
After developing a bilateral kidney stone, Emma’s kidneys got infected and she had to have surgery. After the operation, Emma started taking antibiotics to continue fighting the infection, but this suddenly killed her natural gut bacteria.
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Emma was left with a rare condition that causes her to throw up everytime she eats, and her mum, 63-year-old Helen Tuck, is desperately trying to raise money for her daughter, calling her condition 'soul destroying’.
Helen’s daughter’s gastrointestinal system has been paralysed, meaning she can’t digest food.
Emma - who weighed around 50kg when she was healthy but dropped to just 35kg after becoming ill - can no longer live her life as a normal 22-year-old and has spent months on end in hospital.
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She’s also unable to socialise due to the risk of getting an infection and although she’s managed to slowly build her weight back up, whenever she gets an infection, she drops 4kg.
Emma’s family are now trying to raise £40,000 for a gastric pacemaker, which will 'drastically improve' Emma’s wellbeing and let her live a normal life.
It will also mean Emma can start eating without instantly throwing up.
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Emma’s mum, who is from Doncaster in South Yorkshire, shared: “It just destroys me to be honest. She’s young and she’s just one of the nicest kids.
“We are quite close because she’s 22 but hasn’t fled the nest and still needs my support.
“It’s full on looking after her, because she has a lot of drugs and can’t take anything orally, I have to crush them for her. It’s tough because she just wants to be normal.”
She added: “When Emma found out the cost of the treatment, she just burst into tears.
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"I told her we would do whatever it takes, even if that means remortgaging the house or selling our pensions.
"But Emma disagreed and said it wasn't right, because she said that we need to live and our pensions are what we have worked for.
"Then she asked why an alcoholic can have a liver transplant and somebody that smokes can have a heart transplant.
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“She has done nothing wrong in her life and can't have the treatment she needs."
You can donate to Emma’s GoFundMe here.
Aisha Nozari