UPDATE *****

We have reached the original goal of £10,000 and really we can't thank those who have donated enough!! As many of you are aware however, Heidi's health has declined again much quicker than anyone could have anticipated. Heidi has relapsed into yet another flare up which landed her back in hospital (recently released). As a result of this Heidi's mobility has been compromised and she is in danger of falling which means that she must utilise a wheelchair and scooter for her mobility needs. This unfortunately has impacted on Heidi's already stretched finances as she has had to splurge out and purchase an electric scooter privately. In addition to this blow Heidi has also had to return to her family home in Shetland as she is just unable to look after herself unaided.

The trip to Mexico however is booked and Heidi will be off to sunnier climes in May to get her treatment!! However, with this booking came yet another hit to the purse strings... Heidi has had to purchase business class tickets in an effort to reduce exposure to others. It is imperative she doesn't pick up any bugs on the way home as her immune system will be highly compromised due to the treatment and this was recommended to her by the clinic. In addition to this we also now have to factor other costs upon her return. As Heidi is having the treatment out with the NHS she will also have to fork out for the 6 months of medications required, regular bloods as well as intensive private physio and chiropractic care too. Honestly it is really scary how much these costs are mounting up but for Heidi there are no other options and her GP and Neurology team are very supportive of her going to get this treatment as soon as possible.

We have a few things in the calendar coming up to help move us in the right direction of the target - which we have had to increase due to the mounting costs. There is a fundraiser in Shetland being held on the 7th of April and one in Heidi's home town of Golspie on the 21st of April too. Both nights look to be successful ones with so many people donating fantastic raffle prizes (do check out her Insta and FB pages to purchase tickets if you fancy!). Additionally Heidi's childhood friend Megan Robb has signed up to complete the Mighty Stride Kiltwalk - all 17.8 miles of it in Heidi's honour; with all monies raised going to this wonderful cause of getting Heidi where she needs to be!!

Thank you again for all your support... we could never repay your kindness.

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We honestly could have got so far as we have without your support and help! I know it's still a big ask to continue fundraising but if Heidi is refusing to give up hope then how can we?!

Meet Heidi, she is a 38 year old gregarious person who has a thirst for life and who has dedicated her life to helping others via her work as a Social worker.

In November 2021 Heidi contracted Covid and became very unwell however, this was to be a blessing in disguise as it made Heidi reassess her health and make the biggest decision of her life; to book herself in for weight loss surgery. So on the 3rd of February 2022 Heidi took that leap and received bariatric surgery and from there on, there has been no holding her back. Heidi dedicated her life to her weight loss journey, successfully losing 11 stone in her first year. Heidi is the first to admit that weight loss surgery has saved her life. For her, this surgery has been truly transformative and Heidi’s only regret about this whole process is that she hadn’t done it sooner, she hadn’t given herself the opportunity to enjoy her life to the fullest.

Fast forward to the 6th of December 2022 and things unfortunately took a bit of a turn in Heidi’s awe-inspiring journey. She awoke that morning feeling unsteady on her feet and her legs were almost unresponsive. As you can imagine this was a terrifying experience and very confusing. Heidi was thankfully able to see her GP the next day who ordered a battery of tests, however Heidi’s situation escalated dramatically the next morning when she woke to find she could no longer walk at all and had lost all bladder and bowel control. An ambulance was called, and it was decided that she needed to be airlifted immediately from her home in Golspie to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness. There she spent five days confined to her bed until the neurology team were able to take over her case. Heidi was treated with an extremely high dose of steroids to reduce inflammation and treat any underlying infection that may be causing her symptoms. The treatment thankfully was successful, and she was able to walk again with the aid of crutches and was discharged on the 22nd December. This ‘win’ however was short lived as she was readmitted the next day with Optic Neuritis which left her without vision in one of her eyes. Again, Heidi was treated with more steroid infusions and was able to spend Christmas with her family, albeit a day late.

Heidi began to regain control of her body once more (even managing to start dancing in her kitchen on crutches over the festive period!), the steroids were doing their job and the Dr’s were investigating a possible diagnosis as to what was the root cause of this sudden onset of symptoms. Heidi had an MRI and further tests and was routinely seeing a neurologist, who on the 9th of February 2023 delivered the devasting news that Heidi has an aggressive form of Multiple Sclerosis. Heidi has gone from walking 10 miles a day to now being told by her care team that it is very likely she will require a wheelchair to meet her mobility needs as she is now at high risk of falling. This is as you can imagine is very frightening and for a 38 year old woman who lives alone, having just found the world again, it is truly devastating.

There is however hope! Heidi has been informed that Stem Cell treatment is an option for her, however the NHS is not equipped to provide this treatment and so Heidi will have to travel to Mexico and fund this herself. The treatment centre called Clinica Ruiz, is the largest patient volume autoimmune disease HSCT private treatment centre in the world, run by Doctor Ruiz Argüelles and Doctor Gómez-Almaguer. They have performed more than 3,000 HSCT procedures during more than 20 years for haematological and autoimmune diseases such as MS, whereby positive results have been achieved in over 78% of patients transplanted at Clinica Ruiz.

The treatment is expected to cost approximately £60,000 which will include Heidi’s treatment, travel, living expenses and cost of medications for the 6 months after treatment. Her family have been so very supportive, having dropped everything to come to her aid and are desperately trying every avenue to help Heidi fund this life saving treatment. We have a gap to fill however and need to fundraise at least £10,000 to get Heidi where she needs to be.

Can you help this amazing woman find her way back to her life again and donate to this wonderful life saving cause?