A FORMER Porthleven school pupil has launched a £50,000 crowdfunder appeal for life saving surgery in Germany before she literally starves to death.

Nicolette Baker, 36, who lives near Truro but went to Porthleven School in the 90s, suffers from an incredibly rare condition that leads to sickness and pain whenever she tries to eat.

This has left her massively underweight and is currently only three stone she says without treatment she will die as she becomes weaker and weaker and more organs are starved of blood supply.

Posting on her Gofundme page, which can be found here or on gofundme.com by searching for Nicolette Baker, she said: "Firstly I want to thank you for taking the time to read my story. It is not in my nature to seek help from others but with the encouragement of friends I have taken their advice and opened up to you.

"I have an incredibly rare condition that due to only 0.013% of the population actually suffering with it, went undetected throughout my childhood.

"It was only when I had a complete bowel obstruction threatening to take my life that the reason for my lifetime of pain and sickness when eating and drinking became clear."

She adds: "Because my condition is so unknown amongst the medical profession there are few experts that can offer some improvement to what is a grave prognosis. I am now in palliative care.

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"However, there is a clinic in Germany which specialists in vascular compressions as severe as mine and Professor Sandmann has agreed to perform this life saving surgery for me in February 2022 which holds every hope of reclaiming my quality of life.

"This really is my only chance. This surgery costs well over £50,000 and does not include my accommodation, my flights, travel and medical insurance, Covid tests and a medical chaperone accompanying me to surgery. I will need to spend six weeks in Germany and due to my severely emaciated state of health I will need to take taxis and rely on extra support for luggage and transportation."

The condition is caused by several vascular compressions caused by the superior mesenteric artery compressing upon her duodenum, her left renal vein and celiac artery.

With a diameter of 2.2mm (normal diameter being 4cm) her duodenum is pinched so severely that even fluids have difficulty passing through normally and causes her immense pain and sickness. "My body is starving and I am struggling to survive on the little nourishment I can get in," she says. "My multiple vascular compressions are severely restricting blood supply to my organs including my intestines and affects my ability to eat and drink. I am massively underweight and without treatment I will die as I become weaker and weaker and more organs starve of blood supply."

She says if the surgery in Germany isn’t possible for reasons outside of her control the funds will lead her to pursue specialist medical treatment in other parts of the world.

So far the GoFundMe page had raised over £15,000 towards its £50,000 goal with over 650 donations.