Ella Rake, 22, says she fears her body is giving out as she battles a stomach condition that leaves her vomiting up to 100 times daily.
The young Brit, from the UK, has been diagnosed with severe gastroparesis, a disorder where the stomach’s muscles and nerves fail to function properly, causing food to empty far too slowly. In her case, she has been unable to keep any food down, with her limited calorie intake restricted mainly to melon and egg. She is now bed-bound, fainting daily, reliant on a wheelchair, and her weight has plummeted to just over six stone.
Her mother, Vicky Patmore, has launched a GoFundMe campaign to fund private treatment, writing on the fundraiser: “She is running out of options, and I’m terrified she is running out of time too. Please help us get the care she needs before we lose our beautiful girl.”
Ella’s health struggles trace back years, though they were frequently dismissed as irritable bowel syndrome and anxiety. At 16, her bladder stopped working entirely, requiring her to use a catheter. Two years later, at 18, she received a diagnosis of Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, a connective tissue disorder. The testing process for that condition ultimately revealed the severe gastroparesis, a discovery that came around the same time she lost her father.
“It was a nightmare. Everything was going wrong in my life at the time,” she said. “When I received the diagnosis it was a relief in the sense that I knew what was going on but at the same time when it hit me it was not very good.”
The physical toll has been extreme and unrelenting. Ella has suffered stomach obstructions and once went six months without a bowel movement. Her constant vomiting has caused her potassium levels to drop dangerously low, a mineral essential for proper heart function. That depletion has already triggered arrhythmias and cardiac rhythm disturbances, both potentially fatal complications.
“My main worry is my heart. When I get hooked onto the ECGs and I see the nurses freak out it is really scary to me,” she said. “I lost my dad that way and we have a strong cardiac history throughout my family so it does worry me that this could be what will finish me off.”
Ella has said she believes healthcare professionals told her they will not intervene unless her kidneys are failing, leaving her feeling abandoned by the system she depends on.
She described her deteriorating state in stark terms: “Everything with my health has just gradually gone downhill. It is really scary. My weight is dropping. My bones are very visible and I am just very weak all the time. I do worry how much more my body will take before it gives out. I say to my mum all the time that this is it and I am going to die.”
The family is now racing to secure funds for private care as Ella’s condition continues its downward spiral, with her heart bearing the brunt of the damage from her nutritional collapse.