My 11yo granddaughter is critically ill abroad. I'm fundraising for a medical evacuation flight, so she can get home to the UK for specialist treatment.

She has PANDAS, an autoimmune disorder which causes inflammation in the brain. She has been left bedridden, too weak to lift her head.

PANDAS is a debilitating condition that causes the immune system to get derailed from its usual infection-fighting role & attacks the brain. It can trigger OCD, restrictive eating, severe anxiety & other symptoms of mental illness & neurological problems –in the worst cases, seizures, respiratory failure & death.

The similarity to other conditions makes 🐼 very difficult to diagnose, & in my granddaughter's case, being autistic, it took 2 years. In this time, her condition worsened considerably. She had to have surgery to clear her bowels due to a severe anxiety about toileting. She stopped eating & drinking, eventually collapsing, needing to receive IV fluids & tube feeding in hospital.

She is malnourished & needed in-patient care to reintroduce food as a sudden shift in electrolytes as the body metabolises food can be fatal. The family were urged to return to the UK as a matter of urgency as this was not available to her.

PANDAS has caused her to have OCD, separation anxiety, tics, sensory issues & at times feel suicidal. It's stealing her childhood. She went from a sociable, happy 9 year old to not being able to leave the house, losing her friends, a shell of her former self. Their family life has been destroyed. PANDAS is a treatable condition, the sooner treatment is received, the better the recovery. She is in desperate need of help & needs to get home as a matter of urgency.

Her parents had to resign from their jobs in order to bring her back to the UK for treatment. She will require either a stretcher on a commercial flight or a medical evacuation flight. So I ask you to find it in your heart to donate to help me bring my granddaughter back to the UK.