Emilie Cullum, a 36-year-old mother from Hertfordshire, is facing a terminal diagnosis after initially attributing her illness to spoiled milk.

Initial Misdiagnosis and Worsening Symptoms

Ms. Cullum, a mother of three from St Albans, first experienced persistent vomiting after breakfast. After ten days of unrelenting sickness and difficulty keeping food down, she sought medical attention.

She was initially diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, an incurable inflammatory bowel condition, following a visit to the A&E department. However, her symptoms continued to deteriorate over the subsequent three months, significantly impacting her ability to eat with her family.

Second Diagnosis and Rapid Weight Loss

A private consultation in February 2025 revealed a second, more accurate diagnosis: gastroparesis. This rare condition causes delayed stomach emptying, leading to severely impaired digestion.

As a result of gastroparesis, Ms. Cullum’s weight plummeted from 8st 5lb to just 4st 8lb. Doctors have given her a grim prognosis, estimating she has less than a year to live.

Understanding Gastroparesis

The specialist explained that the pain stems from her abdomen, where gastroparesis disrupts the nerves controlling stomach emptying. Gastroparesis affects the normal muscle movements of the stomach, impacting its ability to empty properly, and affects over 1.5 million people in the US and up to 4% of people in the UK to some extent.

Fundraising for Private Treatment

Friends have launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise £200,000 for private total parenteral nutrition (TPN) treatment. This treatment delivers vital nutrients directly into the bloodstream, offering a potential lifeline.

Ms. Cullum expressed her heartbreaking fear of leaving her children, calling it “horrific” and “unthinkable.” She was even told during a hospital stay that she was effectively ‘forced’ anorexic due to her extreme weight loss.

Current Treatment and Future Hopes

A jejunostomy, a procedure providing direct feeding into the small intestine, has helped her gain some weight, bringing her to just over 5st. However, she remains critically underweight.

To qualify for TPN, she needs to reach 6st 9lb, a goal she is pursuing through current treatment in a residential hospital, which involves receiving fluids, nutrition, and medication intravenously via Hickman and PICC lines. Ms. Cullum hopes to avoid further hospitalizations and spend her remaining time with her loved ones, acknowledging the mental strain of prolonged stays.