A FORMER carer with a life-limiting stomach condition which sees her unable to eat, needs to fund a new gastric pacemaker not covered by the NHS.

Leanne Willan, from Bolton has gastroparesis, a long-term chronic stomach illness with leaves those affected with constant severe sickness, nausea, pain, weight loss or gain, and being unable to eat.

After a diagnosis, Leanne finally had a gastric pacemaker fitted in 2008.

But two years ago the battery ran out and she is now in pain and vomiting every day, signalling that her stomach needs a new one. She has discovered the replacement will cost her around £10,000.

Leanne said: “I was always sickly as a child and then as a teenager. They thought it was just hormones and stress of exams.

“After I had my daughter at 22, it got much worse, I can be sick 70 times a day, I can’t eat or drink and I am in pain.”

Initially sent from Bolton Royal Hospital to Blackburn and then finally to The Princess Grace Hospital in London, Leanne was unable to properly care for her daughter Faith, who is now 17.

She said: “I was being tube fed and I used to care for people who were being tube fed. Now I was in the same position, and have been in and out of hospital ever since.

“I couldn’t do anything with my daughter or my husband. We were supposed to start our new lives together, but that just couldn’t happen.

“It’s impacted my life majorly with not being able to eat because everything involves food, like birthdays and weddings.”

After getting the pacemaker fitted, Leanne was finally able to eat again, spend quality time with her daughter, and was not constantly being sick.

The pacemaker sends an electric pulse to the stomach to get it working properly again.

Leanne said: “I could go out with friends and family again, I could spend time with them because I wasn’t so ill, I could live a better life. They said my stomach had had a break and was fine for a little bit because the pacemaker had got it working. But now it’s started going wrong again.

“I need a new one otherwise I’m stuck at home and can’t do anything like this. “

A fundraiser has been set up by a friend to help with the costs.

Leanne said: “My friend, Adam Kendall-Stokes, has been amazing this whole time. As soon as he found out he set up a fund page straight away. All of my friends and family are so supportive, because they’ve seen me at my worst, and they’ve seen me at my best.”

To donate to the fundraiser search for Leanne Willan via the Go Fund Me website.