The family of a young aspiring gymnast who suffers from the world’s most painful, and incurable, disease have spent more than $200,000 trying to help her recover.
Lila Moorfoot, 11, dreamed of becoming a gymnast when she suffered a series of stress fractures in her foot two years ago.
It is getting worse
The already distressing injury brought out an even worse disease, Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS).
CRPS is a neurological condition nicknamed the ‘suicide disease’ for causing horrific chronic pain rated worse than unmedicated childbirth on the McGill Pain Index.
A close family friend of the Moorfoot family, Anthony Hewitt, described the devastating effect CRPS has taken on young Lila’s life in a GoFundMe post.
‘Lila went from being a bright, bubbly, active and athletic little gymnast to living in the most crippling, severe pain, 24 hours a day – unable to touch, move, stand or walk on her foot without being in excruciating pain,’ he said.
‘She endured months sleeping at the foot of her parents’ bed, unable to wear a sock or clothing, or even put a sheet over her foot and leg on account of the agonising pain she was experiencing.
‘At its worst, even the slightest movement, touch, water, wind or minute bump in the road would elicit the most unbearable pain with her [leg] turning purple and becoming ice cold.’
No cure for CRPS
As soon as she was diagnosed with CRPS, Lila started rehabilitation from her home in Geelong and at the Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne.
While there is no cure for CRPS, patients can enter remission and continue their lives pain-free.
After 17 gruelling months of inpatient and outpatient care, it seemed Lila was finally making progress.
Lila has spent her time at the clinic working hard to recover but has taken another turn for the worse.
She passes out around 30 times a day from the pain and has suffered a seizure.
‘The intolerable pins and needles, burning, squeezing, crushing and aching is more than her young body can handle,’ Mr Hewitt said.
Unfortunately, the cost of Lila’s treatment is starting to hit the Moorfoot family, who have already spent more than $200,000 hoping to ease Lila’s pain.
