We are reaching out to you all to help us raise funds to support our much-loved Christalla get the right urgent medical help she needs.

Christalla needs a life saving operation; without it, her chances of survival are slim.

Christalla has been diagnosed with an extremely rare condition known as Arterioportal Fistula with aneurysmal dilation; this is a condition of the liver she acquired via a liver biopsy. To understand how extremely rare this condition is, there are fewer than a dozen cases reported worldwide in a world population of over 8 billion people.

In the last few months, Christalla has been seeking private second opinions, and she has now found a distinguished Liver Surgeon who will complete lifesaving surgery.

Without surgery, her condition will continue to progress, and she will continue to be at enormous risk of rupture; a rupture will lead to internal bleeding, and her chances of survival are slim.

The surgery involves a complex liver resection (Left Hepatectomy) and although this procedure is regularly carried out, in Christalla’s case, there are added complexities due to her diagnosis.

The surgery will cost more than £40,000 and we want to do our bit to help her reach this target. Without this surgery, she will not get to live the life she deserves.

Background to Christalla’s diagnosis

Christalla story began in 2000 when she had a routine abdominal scan for some digestive issues she was experiencing; at the time the scan showed a lesion on her liver and was referred to a Hepatology team. The Hepatology team had informed her that they were unsure if this was a liver haemangioma or an early liver cancer. To explain, a liver haemangioma is a non-cancerous mass of the liver, and it is thought that 1 in 20 people have them and they are usually found incidentally.

The Hepatology team went ahead with various tests including regular MRI scans and blood tests initially every three months; they advised at the time that they could not confirm that the lesion was a 100% a liver haemangioma and recommended that a biopsy should be completed. Christalla had three attempts at biopsy, all done differently. The second of the three biopsies in 2001 resulted in a shunt to her liver (like being stabbed with a knife in the live resulting in injury/trauma to the liver); this resulted in a hospital admission as her liver swelled, and once this settled after a few days she was discharged.

The liver biopsies did not show any abnormal cells, follow up MRIs showed no change in the size or the density of the liver lesion, and her blood tests were normal. After a few years of regular follow ups it was conclude that Christalla in fact had a liver haemangioma that did not require any intervention, and she was discharged from the Hepatology team and advised that should she feel any symptoms of concern in the future she should request for her GP to refer her back to Hepatology.

Several years had passed, and in 2022 Christalla started to experience some abdominal bloating; her GP arranged a scan, and it was concluded that all was well with her liver, there were no changes to the liver haemangioma and that there was a scar there from previous liver biopsy but nothing of concern.

In the early hours of Christmas day 2024 Christalla experienced sudden pain in her abdomen with a pulsating sensation and increased heart rate. She spent Christmas day in A&E where a CT scan of the abdominal area was completed and she was advised that compared to her historical scans, there was no change to the liver lesion however was discharged with a diagnosis of an abdominal Bruit (pulsating sensation) that they believed was secondary to her historical liver issues. She was not informed at the time what this specifically was, but a letter was sent to her GP with the advice that she should be referred to the Hepatology Team.

A Bruit is characterised by a whooshing sound produced by the turbulent, high-velocity flow of arterial blood directly entering the lower pressure portal vein. It creates an audible sound and a palpable vibration, known as a thrill, that can be felt in the area. Christalla continues to live with this symptom since Christmas day.

Christalla’s GP referred her back to the Hepatology team and eventually in June 2025 she had a consultation with Hepatology consultant. The consultant suggested for Christalla to have a further CT scan of her liver and a Fibro scan of the liver and that her case would be discussed at an MDT meeting. The CT scan took plan in June, and the Fibro Scan was scheduled for September. In July Christalla experienced some worsening symptoms and attended A&E. She was admitted into hospital for observation, and the following day was seen by a Surgeon. The surgeon informed Christalla that her condition was so rare that there was no surgery for it.

This was the first time Christalla was told that she had a diagnosis of an Arterioportal Fistula and Aneurysmal Dilatation caused by an earlier biopsy, referring to the Liver biopsy she had in 2001. This was the first time she was informed that the liver biopsy had caused such a rare condition, and she was discharged home with advice that there was no surgery for condition and that it was just now about ‘managing her symptoms’. She was understandably devastated and in complete shock and struggled to comprehend what had been told to her. She had in affect been left to live with this condition for over 20 years without being informed and by this point it had progressed to the extent of being one of the rarest known conditions in the world.

An Arterioportal fistula (APF) with Aneurysmal Dilation is a rare and serious vascular abnormality involving abnormal communication between the Hepatic Artery and the Portal Vein within the liver, accompanied by widening (Aneurysmal Dilation) of one or both of the vessels. The APF means that there is a direct connection (fistula) between the Hepatic artery (which normally carries oxygen rich blood into the liver) and the Portal Vein (which carries nutrient rich blood into the liver). Normally these symptoms are separate. When a fistula forms, arterial blood is shunted directly into the portal vein, causing abnormally high pressure in the portal system. The aneurysm in this situation forms because of the high flow shunting of blood. This increases the risk of rupture.

Christalla had a Fibro scan of the liver in September; this type of scan looks specifically for liver stiffness which is a sign of liver disease and Christalla was found to have a perfect liver with no liver disease. Following this she had a consultation with a different hepatology consultant; Christalla shared what she was told by the surgeon in July and the hepatology consultant advised that they disagreed with the view that there was no surgery and advised he would discuss her case at an MDT. A few weeks later Christalla was informed that there was good news and that the Head Interventional Radiologist for liver conditions suggested a procedure known as Embolisation; this involves placing a coil to block the abnormal flow that the Arterioportal Fistula was causing. Christalla was given hope that her condition would be solved. In October she was admitted into hospital for the procedure however when the interventional radiologist began the procedure that involved an angiogram through the groin with a catheter being directed to the liver, it was found that the Embolisation could not be completed. Understandably Christalla was devastated and once again was left untreated with no progress. She was advised that there were two possible procedures, but both carried high risk and further discussions at MDT’s would take place.

Christalla has been informed by three consultants this year that liver biopsies are not normally performed on haemangiomas; imagined being told that this has now been caused by an unnecessary procedure leaving her now in a life threatening condition. This has added to her psychological distress.

Further in February 2025 Christalla was diagnosed with having a brain aneurysm; this is currently stable and being monitored.

Christalla was let down by the NHS; she was never informed of the damage the liver biopsy in 2001 caused to her liver. Had the Fistula been treated at the time, her condition would not have progressed to where she is today. She only became aware of this in 2025 when her condition worsened. She was left completely in the dark. Had this been treated previously and in a timely manner, she would now not be in a life-threatening condition. Christalla understandably has lost complete faith in the NHS with the repeat and on-going delays which have meant her condition has progressed into a serious rare condition with little than a dozen cases known worldwide.

Given how extremely rare her condition is and the seriousness of her condition, she needs an expert surgeon to complete surgery to save her life. A surgeon has been identified, and it is hoped she will have the surgery in December 2025.

This whole situation has had a detrimental impact on Christalla’s wellbeing; she has gone from a happy, outgoing individual full of banter to being frightened and withdrawn; any injury to her stomach can lead to rupture and could be fatal. It was her 50th birthday recently and she was unable to go ahead with any celebrations that she had planned.

We want to see our much-loved Christalla back to being her happy self and living the life she deserves. It breaks our hearts to see her go through what she has endured since Christmas day 2024 and we have been feeling helpless. She has been diagnosed with having PTSD as a consequence of the trauma she has experienced. And this is why we must support her the same way she supports others when they are in need, now in her time of need.

Christalla is one of the kindest and caring individuals who is selfless when it comes to helping others; she is known for her good heart and intentions for others and over the years has been known to help people and will never ask for anything in return. We have known her to help others in their hour of need without question from friends, family and complete strangers. Christalla is also an animal lover and over the years she has helped countless animals with saving their lives or getting them treatment.

Christalla is extremely close with her mother; one of her biggest fears is to not be around to help her mother or to inflict any hurt to her mother should something happen to her. It is her biggest motivator to keep fighting. She also has said she wants to be here to see Arsenal win the premier league after all these years!

It is now our time to help her and return the favour to her.

We do not want her to worry or experience any added stress as everything can have a detrimental impact on her health. We want her to know that we are with her every step of the way and are here to support her unconditionally and hence why we have begun this Go Fund Me. We ask for your help in making any donation, no matter how small to help us reach out target.

you can view a video of her condition at the following link

https://youtu.be/TbA308l4Cb0?si=pU9HYhGYZVDxxd1F