Emilie Cullum threw up her breakfast cereal one morning in November 2024, changing her life overnight after months of active health, The Independent reported.
The mother-of-three watched her weight drop to just four stone and three pounds by 8 August as her stomach completely stopped working.
NHS doctors initially told her she likely had food poisoning or Crohn’s disease during early hospital visits.
A private doctor realized the true nature of her illness three months after the vomiting began, discovering her stomach was broken.
“My breakfast went down and all of a sudden, I felt that it needed to come up again.”
Emilie Cullum told The Independent
Nasal feeding tube dislodges repeatedly causing weight loss
Specialists inserted a nasal feeding tube after diagnostic tests involving chalk and a camera failed when she vomited them up.
The nasal tube dislodged 14 times over six months due to persistent vomiting, requiring constant sedation to replace it.
“It is really horrible,” Cullum told The Independent regarding the 14 days of being sedated and the constant discomfort.
Her weight plummeted to four stone and three pounds by August 8, marking a 50 percent loss of her total body weight.
Medical staff refused to fit a permanent feeding tube until she gained weight, but her body continuously rejected baby formula.
Organ deterioration and risks of permanent tube surgery
Cullum nearly suffered a cardiac arrest after spending three straight days asleep while her mother called an ambulance.
A second opinion led doctors to stitch in a permanent tube despite the high risk of death during the surgical procedure.
Her weight increased slightly to five stone and five pounds, though she remained critically underweight and vulnerable to routine infections.
Heart and kidney deterioration forced her into inpatient total parenteral nutrition in February 2026, receiving nutrients directly through a vein.
A major pulmonary embolism struck after blood clots formed around an artery, requiring an emergency blood transfusion.
Hospital staff informed her that palliative care was the next step, leaving her with an estimated 18 months to live.
“It was just a shock, hearing those words. I knew something wasn’t right as the doctor and nurse came in, as well as the hospital chaplain.”
Emilie Cullum told The Independent
Family sells assets to fund lipid treatment in Thailand
Cullum and her family discovered a private alternative involving lipids treatment, which costs £675 a day to administer in the UK.
NHS England does not fund the lipids treatment, though gastric pacemakers are funded in Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.
Family members sold their homes, put her business on hold, and gave up their family pets to finance the move.
Visa expenses alone reached £58,000 for the trip to Thailand, where the same lipid treatment costs £9 daily.
The goal is to gain sufficient weight in Thailand before returning to the UK for a gastric pacemaker operation.
“It would mean everything. It would mean I get to see my children and to see them grow up a lot more.”
Emilie Cullum told The Independent
Gastric condition questions
Why did NHS doctors miss the diagnosis initially?
Initial hospital visits led medical staff to suspect food poisoning or Crohn’s disease before private specialists conducted swallowing tests.
What makes the treatment unavailable on the NHS?
Gastric pacemakers are funded in other parts of the UK but face funding blocks in England, while lipid treatments require private financing.
How is the family funding the trip to Thailand?
Cullum and her parents prepared to sell their homes, paused her business, and surrendered their family pets to cover the £58,000 visa bill and ongoing medical costs.
What is the timeline for her remaining care?
Medical staff informed Cullum she had an estimated 18 months to live following her pulmonary embolism and organ deterioration.
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