A Perthshire mum who is pinning her last hopes on stem cell treatment after an NHS Tayside blunder says the kindness of supporters is giving her the strength to go on fighting.
Nicola Lunn has been told she can’t have the life-saving lung transplant she had been counting on.
So friends and family have launched a £30,000 appeal to pay for stem cell therapy which is not available on the NHS.
Around £10,000 has been raised so far.
And Nicola, 52, hopes to be at Methven Gala Day this Saturday when pals will have a stall in aid of the fund.
The mum of two, who lived in the village for most of her life, said the backing of friends and strangers has meant everything to her.
“It’s humbling to see so many people doing all these things to help me,” she said.
“There are days when I just want to give up. But when you know you have so many people fighting your corner you can’t give up. You just have to keep going.”
Friends and family refuse to be beaten
Nicola has suffered from rheumatoid arthritis and then interstitial lung disease since 2010.
However, the steroids she needed to manage those conditions have left her with osteoporosis, which has led to rib and lower spine fractures.
NHS Tayside has apologised for a mistake in her care after two consultants admitted an error was made with her medication.
She should have been prescribed bone protection drugs to counter the effects of the steroids.
Now specialists have ruled out a lung transplant, saying she might not survive the operation.
The NHS can now only offer her end-of-life care and have warned her symptoms will continue to worsen over the next six months.
Nicola’s friends and family refuse to be beaten though.
They have launched an online fundraiser to pay for stem cell therapy which is not available on the NHS.
An initial consultation will cost £3,000 and the treatment itself will be upwards of £15,000.
On her gofundme page, Nicola’s sister-in-law Rachel Lunn writes that they are looking into stem cell therapy as a final option.
“We are absolutely heartbroken as you can imagine,” she says.
“Seeing her breathless and in such pain is so upsetting.
“If the treatment is not an option then I’m sure any donations made would help Nicola be as comfortable as she can be for as long as she has left.”
Fundraising efforts are gaining pace
Nicola says around £10,000 has been raised so far between the gofundme page and other activities.
Her sons Harry and Peter are doing a sponsored walk up Ben Nevis in September.
Workmates are also organising a fancy dress disco in the Tulloch Institute Club in Perth on October 21.
The stall at Methven Gala Day will be selling Halloween items at pocket money prices.
It’s the latest in a series of fundraisers in the village for Nicola, who lived in Methven from the age of eight. She moved to a more accessible property in Perth after her condition worsened earlier this year.
Nicola’s friends Sarah Fergusson and Fiona McLanaghan will be behind the stall and are hoping for plenty of support on Saturday.
Sarah said: “Nikki and her family are such a lovely bunch. Folk are just trying to help them as much as they can.”
Methven Gala Day is this Saturday in King George’s Jubilee Park, from noon-4pm. It will feature a pipe band, vintage tractors and bikes, a barbecue and bouncy castle and a large range of stalls and other attractions.
To donate to Nicola’s fundraiser, click here.
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