Organisations throughout Perthshire have given generously to help a young mum, diagnosed with a brain tumour just before she gave birth, receive state-of-the-art rehabilitation treatment.
Ashlie Lamb of Redgorton was 39 weeks pregnant when doctors discovered a tumour in her brain that could have left her unable to walk again.
The tumour was so large that it threatened her own life and that of her unborn child.
She had her daughter, Amelie, by an emergency caesarean section and the tumour was removed six days later, but the operation left her on life support for weeks and unable to walk or talk.
However, more than three years later, Ashlie (30) has made good progress and speech therapy and physiotherapy have meant that she has become much more mobile and can speak, albeit in slow sentences.
During her recovery, Ashlie walked 2km unaided and raised over £5000 for Perth Strathtay Harriers – the club that supported her during her recovery.
But now she and husband Daniel are keen to take her recovery to the next level by getting treatment at a specialist neurological centre in Hull.
And local companies have rallied round to donate prizes for a silent auction to raise funds to send Ashlie to the centre which uses cutting-edge technology to help retrain the brain.
Among the donations are overnight hotel stays, meal vouchers, football memorabilia and food and drink hampers.
Daniel said: “Everyone has been so generous, and we are so grateful for all the prizes that have been donated.
“We believe that this treatment could be a vital part of Ashlie’s rehabilitation and she can’t wait to give it a go.”
On her Just Giving page, Ashlie details her ordeal.
She says: “In March 2019 I was planning to settle down with my wonderful fiancé and with our new beautiful daughter.
“The horror was unimaginable, I became ill and a brain tumour was found.
“Doctors immediately organised for Amelie to be delivered safely via an emergency caesarean section before the doctors could schedule brain surgery less than a week later.
“Due to breathing issues, after surgery I was given a very low survival rate and the road of recovery has been very hard, filled with hurdles and challenges along the way as I continue my journey.
“The tumour I had was on the brain stem and cerebellum which controls balance and coordination which have been severely impaired.”
She adds: “My goal through this whole journey has been to walk the dog in the stubble fields outside my house but most recently Amelie said one night: ‘Mummy when you’re better can you pick me up from the door at nursery?’ So, that is my new goal.”
The auction runs throughout November and anyone interested in bidding for one of the donations can do so at www.ashlielamb.co.uk or donate at the Just Giving page https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/ashlie-lamb
