If you take the time to read this, thank you.

I'm not Ellen, my names Kelly but I am a friend of Ellen’s and I'm doing this for her because I care deeply about an amazingly positive, and warm young person who deserves a chance to get her quality of life back.

Ellen is just 29 years old. Before illness changed everything, she was a healthy, active footballer with a bright future ahead of her. Following an ACL injury in 2022, which for an athlete js the worst possible news, Ellen only expected she’d have a tough 9-12 month recovery -

However, she has since developed Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS), an ultra-rare neurological autoimmune disease that affects around one in a million people.

SPS causes relentless muscle stiffness, excruciating pain and severe muscle spasms that can break bones, this disease is progressive, it can leave sufferers unable to walk, simple life things such as noises, movement or sneezing can trigger painful spasms and rigidity which leaves sufferers unable to work or live independently. There is no cure, and because the condition is so rare, specialist treatment is extremely limited.

In just a few years, Ellen has not just lost her career, her independence, her ability to play the sport she loved and much of the life most 29 year olds take for granted. But this disease is taking away her future.

Yet through everything, she continues to fight with positivity and kindness.

Now, for the first time, there is hope.

Ellen has been offered the opportunity to see a specialist in the United States with experience treating complex neuro-immune conditions like hers. While no one can promise a cure, this specialist can carry out an in-depth assessment and provide a personalised treatment and rehabilitation plan that is simply not available to her in the UK. It is an opportunity to improve her function, reduce her symptoms and help her reclaim some of the life this disease has already taken away.

The only barrier is the cost.

Travelling safely with Stiff Person Syndrome, specialist medical care, accommodation and several weeks of treatment are far beyond what Ellen can afford alone.

That's why I'm asking for your help.

Every donation, no matter the amount, will go directly towards giving Ellen access to this potentially quality of life-changing care. If you're unable to donate, sharing her story could help it reach someone who can.

Ellen has shown extraordinary courage and determination in the face of an unimaginably cruel disease. Most of us struggle to deal with simple pains for more than a couple days, imagine years with one of the cruelest conditions known.

She deserves the chance to explore every possible opportunity for a better future.

Thank you for reading, for sharing, for donating if you can, and for giving Ellen something she refuses to lose: hope.