Rochdale Council staff raise over £700 for former colleague's medical tests

Rochdale Council’s Adult Care team raised more than £700 towards a former colleague’s medical bills with a cake sale on 1 March.

The team took to selling the sweet treats to raise funds for former colleague Stacey Parker’s private medical testing to find answers for her undiagnosed medical conditions, and raised £775 on the day.

Diagnosed with Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS), Stacey first fell ill with a range of strange symptoms in early 2016 – it is still taking medical professionals’ time to connect all the dots together.

MCAS sufferers’ immune systems become hyper sensitive and they react to all sort of normal things, often with a very limited diet and they become housebound as they are sensitive to environmental triggers.

Steve Blezard, adult care’s director of operations, said: “Staff across adult care took the time and effort to organise this event and the response across the council was overwhelming. Stacey is a much-loved, valued and popular ex-colleague, so we were proud to raise so much money to assist her.”

Stacey said: “I appreciate all the effort and generosity of everyone involved. It has surprised me how many people have got involved to help reach the target.

“My family and I cannot thank everyone enough for all that has been done so far.”

 

 

Stacey was also recently diagnosed with lipoedema and lymphoedema, plus a life-altering and debilitating condition called Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (PoTS), which causes fatigue, palpitations, fainting/near fainting, and stomach issues, amongst other symptoms.

Lipoedema, often misdiagnosed as obesity, consists of abnormal fat deposits sit under the skin, which can be painful and cause easy bruising, whereas lymphoedema causes swelling in the body's tissues.

Unfortunately, for Stacey, garments useful for lymphoedema will be too painful for her due to the lipoedema. The only treatment that appears to be effective in reducing the build-up of fatty tissue associated with lipoedema is a procedure called tumescent liposuction, which is rarely funded by the NHS.

Over £9,000 has been donated to Stacey’s cause as she attempts to find answers for her illnesses.

Stacey and her family are awaiting a review of recent upright MRI scans by a specialist in Barcelona and hopes to undergo genetic testing in London next month.

The family continues to fundraise in anticipation of further medical tests, and any remaining funds will be donated to the Mast Cell Action charity.

To donate to Stacey’s cause, please visit:

• www.gofundme.com/helpforstaceyp 
• www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/helpforstacey