Hope for Sheffield teenager as family approach £45,000 fundraising goal for life-changing epilepsy treatment
A family are hopeful that a teenage girl with a rare and difficult case of epilepsy may be able to get life-altering treatment as they raise over £40,000.
Over the past month, the family of 15-year-old Grace Padgin have been raising funds to cover a potentially life-changing deep brain stimulation (DBS) operation
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Grace - who’s epilepsy is so severe that she goes into seizures multiple times a week that can last for hours - has been unable to go to school or live the life of a normal teenage girl due to the debilitating condition.
After going public with their experience, support flooded in online with more than £43,000 donated to pay for the treatment.
Providing an update on GoFundMe, mum Emma wrote: “I have spoken with the surgeon and he assured me he is trying to get answers ASAP. We've discussed the funds and although he didn't give me a figure yet he did seem happy with £45-£50,000 so we're nearly there.
“The surgeon is meeting trying to sort out which hospital Grace will be having her surgery. because we're paying for it it may have to be in a private hospital but the surgeon would prefer her to be under an NHS hospital due to after care.
“It’s all a bit complicated but the meetings will continue this week and he should be contacting us within two weeks.”
At least four people have donated £1,000 or more to the online fundraiser, with others putting forward hundreds of pounds in support.
Emma spoke with The Star previously to explain the difficult life Grace, from Ecclesfield, has had to live over the past seven years since she had her first seizure.
At the time she said: “It’s been awful.
“We’re in hospital every week if not twice a week. The seizures are so aggressive - they last hours and hours.
“When she’s seizing they’ll be pumping medication into her but it’s just not working.”