A girl who suffers from an illness that makes her vomit every time she eats is forced to save a small fortune for life-changing treatment.
22-year-old Emma Tuck’s life turned upside down when she developed a mysterious condition “out of the blue” some three years ago when she was diagnosed with kidney stones.
While her kidney infection was quickly dealt with, the young student was left with deteriorating health and vomiting episodes that became so severe she couldn’t eat anything without throwing it up.
As the doctors confirmed, Emma’s gastrointestinal system was left paralyzed during the course of the treatment of her kidney infection which involved antibiotics and surgery.
As a result of gastroparesis – partial paralysis of the stomach – the girl was left unable to digest the food she eats. While her family confirmed that Emma can still eat, they explained that food stays in her stomach and makes her feel ill because it can’t move forward.
“It just destroys me to be honest. She’s young and she’s just one of the nicest kids. If I’m not very well, she still tries to help me even when I say no,” Emma’s mom, Helen, expressed.
“We are quite close because she’s 22 but hasn’t fled the nest and still needs my support.”
As the mother revealed, her daughter’s weight dropped to just 77 pounds after falling ill. While she eventually managed to regain some of the lost weight, she still struggles to eat anything without throwing up and often loses pounds at once after developing infections that can see her hospitalized for weeks on end.
The family now hopes to save a whopping $45,000 for surgery that would see a gastric pacemaker, a device that sends electrical impulses to the stomach in order to stimulate digestion, installed in her abdomen.
While the life-changing treatment could turn Emma’s life around for the better, the family struggled to get their hands on such an amount of money in such a short time.
“When Emma found out the cost of the treatment, she just burst into tears. I told her we would do whatever it takes, even if that means remortgaging the house or selling our pensions,” Helen of Doncaster, England, added.
“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.
“She has done nothing wrong in her life and can’t have the treatment she needs.”
Since the treatment is not covered by the NHS, the family launched a GoFundMe page in hopes of raising enough funds to cover to secure Emma’s future. They have since already surpassed the goal amount, raising hopes for Emma and the family.
Our thoughts are with Emma and the family throughout her journey of recovery.