Artists and businesses from all over Cornwall are giving their support to an auction to fund lifesaving surgery for a woman before she literally starves to death.

The auction is being organised by friends of 36-year-old Nicolette Baker, who suffers from an incredibly rare condition that leads to sickness and pain whenever she tries to eat.

It has left her massively underweight and currently weighing only three stone.

She says without treatment she will die as she becomes weaker and weaker and more organs are starved of blood supply.

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However, Nicolette has found a clinic in Germany specialising in severe vascular compressions, which has agreed to perform what is hoped will be lifesaving surgery this February – providing she can find the £50,000 cost.

The figure does not include accommodation, flights, travel or medical insurance, and Nicolette will need to spend six weeks in Germany recovering.

A Go Fund Me page at www.gofundme.com/f/help-nicolette-get-life-saving-surgery has so far raised just under £20,500 of that sum, and now two schoolfriends of Nicolette, together with her former teacher at Porthleven School during the 90s, have begun organising an auction of artwork and other donations to help boost the total.

Brothers Mark and Dave Pollard, together with James Kitto, will be holding the event on Sunday, January 30 from 6.30pm in Out Of The Blue, Porthleven.

Regular updates are being given on the Facebook event page Charity Auction for Nicolette.

They have already amassed around 40 donations, including meals out, a football kit voucher worth over £600, a three-night stay in a 'geo dome', climbing, yoga and adventure sessions and a large array of artwork from the likes of Paul Lewin, Jude Kellaway and Chris Insoll.

Mark said: "I, along with my old primary school friends and year four teacher, are attempting to set this up as quickly as possible to give Nicolette the best chance of living."

Donations to the auction can be made by messaging Mark Pollard on Facebook.

Nicolette, who now lives near Truro but grew up in Porthleven, has thanked everyone who has supported her so far.

She said: "To say I am touched is a massive understatement. The messages of support I have received has been indescribable. I cannot even begin to express how moved I have been.

"It has given me an astounding spark of energy to see this journey through and make it to this surgeon who holds some hope of an improvement in life. Because it is all of you every single one of you whom have placed an imprint on my heart that has given me a reason to live and fight for a life.

"A life not an existence. A life that we can share as one big family. And as a very close dear friend of mine described so aptly, on big hug."

If the surgery in Germany becomes not possible for reasons outside of Nicolette's control the funds will lead her to pursue specialist medical treatment in other parts of the world.