A fundraiser has been set up for a mum-of-three whose chronic illness makes it uncomfortable to live in her own skin.

Louise Bottone, from Westgate-On-Sea, was diagnosed with Behcets disease a year ago.

The condition causes her immune system mistakenly attack healthy cells in the body, causing a wide range of agonising symptoms.

Louise's condition creates sores all over her body and in her mouth, rendering her incapable of speech and struggling to breath.

On top of this, swelling in her joints and eye inflammation often results in her being unable to leave the house, while inflammation on the brain not only leaves her fatigued and without energy, but forces her to fight feelings of depression and anxiety on a daily basis.

Her brother Richard, who set up the fundraiser, says that her family have been doing everything they can to help but have been struggling.

"It would give Louise a chance to catch her breath in a world of struggle" - Richard Bottone

He said: "We help however we can, however feeling uncomfortable in your own skin is such a tall order.

"All of her conditions are a fight, and she struggles on whilst bringing up a two and a three-year-old who are very demanding, as well as an 11-year-old who has just started secondary school.

"Their father suffers from PTSD since leaving the army and tries his best to help, but Louise is mostly alone in this battle."

"Moving forward, I want to help take the mountain of responsibilities off of her in the form of monetary support, because she hasn't received any help from the government in terms of benefits, despite not even being able to sit in an office and pick up the phone."

The £10,000 fundraiser has been set up with the hope that Louise might be able to travel to Texas to visit a specialist Behcets centre to receive care for her incurable condition.

If they do not reach their financial goal, Richard hopes to use the money to help care for his sister at home, including over the counter medicines, household costs and a reassurance that her children will have equal opportunities.

He said: "These are just normal things that us healthy people take for granted, but it would really ease the pressure to give Louise a chance to catch her breath in a world of struggle."

If you would like to donate to Louise's cause, you can find the GoFundMe page here.

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