Leeds woman who can vomit up to 30 times a day due to devastating illness fundraising for life changing surgery

Emily Webster, 27, suffers from severe Gastroparesis - a long term, rare and chronic condition that means the nerves and muscles in her stomach are in a state of paralysis.

This leaves Emily unable to digest food in the way a normal stomach would function.

She has been told the condition is believed to have been caused by her Type 1 Diabetes she has had since childhood.

Recent scan results have shown that her condition has now become severe.

She has severely delayed gastric emptying and scans show that 85% of food remains in her stomach after four hours, with a normal range for an adult of between 0-20%.

Emily, from Armley, has now been told she is eligible and a good candidate for life changing surgery of a 'gastric pacemaker', which her surgeon said could improve her "condition by 50%".

The device, which is 2.2 inches high and 2.4 inches wide, is implanted under the skin and two leads are attached to the lower stomach.

Emily- who has spent more than three of the last five years in hospitals in Leeds - believes the device will help with her constant vomiting.

She has launched a fundraiser on GoFundMe to raise up to £9,500 for her private surgery due to take place in early November.

Speaking to the YEP, Emily said she can't wait to have the surgery and "be able to finally live".

She said: "I have missed so much in these five years, four Christmas' in hospital, four New years, every occasion you can think of, weddings, birthdays, family funerals, baby showers.

"Even the smallest of things like going for a walk, a day out, seeings friends and family.

"I have a fear now of going too far from home as I often need to rush home.

"I can be absolutely fine one minute, just food shopping for example, and within minutes could be doubled over in pain and vomiting and have to leave.

"If I do go out I need to plan everything such as if there's anywhere nearby to be sick, how quickly I could get home and carry a bag full of medications.

"I have ambition and dreams."

Emily first became ill five years ago and was diagnosed with the condition following a horrific two years suffering - in which her body weight dropped to around five stone at lowest.

She has spent long periods in hospitals in Leeds battling Gastroparesis.

Recently, Emily went to a private clinic which recommended the surgery she plans to have in November.

Emily hopes the surgery will enable her to complete a bucket list of things she wants to be able to do once her condition improves.

She added: "A 50 per cent improvement would be magical.

"If I could have halved all of what I have gone through that would have been amazing.

"I now have a light at the end of the tunnel, something positive after everything being so negative for all of the years of absolute hell."

A kind donor has paid for Emily's surgery to enable her to book it for early November, however she wants to repay all the money as soon as possible.

Emily used to work in the banking industry but her condition has left her unable to work.

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