A MOTHER who spent almost a year in hospital fighting a rare illness which has left her partially paralysed spoke last night of her "life-changing" ordeal - and vowed she will not be beaten by the disease.

Nicola Maull now needs round the clock care after being diagnosed with Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder (NMO) - an unusual neurological condition caused by damage to her spinal cord and nerves.

The 44-year-old spent almost a year in the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, and has only just returned home to School Aycliffe, County Durham, to be reunited with partner Steve Irwin and nine-year-old son Niall.

Despite not being able to move below her chest and elbows, the previously fit and healthy shop-owner is determined not to let her condition get her down and plans to do what she can to raise awareness of the condition.

Speaking from the family home last night, she said: “I am so pleased to be home. It has been hard and life-changing. The doctors don’t know why this has happened. Every time I have relapsed I have got worse but I am determined to fight this."

The Northern Echo:

Nicola Maull with partner Steve Irwin and son Niall before her illness

Her friend Liz Lambert has now launched a fundraising campaign to pay for vital modifications needed in her home, including a downstairs bedroom and wet room, and a specially modified vehicle to accommodate her wheelchair.

Nicola said she has been overwhelmed by the generosity of the community.

“People have donated money and also offered to help do things. Everyone has been amazing,” she said.

When Nicola first started feeling ill she thought she was just suffering with restless leg syndrome.

“I started feeling unwell in October 2014,” said Nicola, who owns a prom dress shop in Yarm. “I couldn’t eat a full meal when I went out and then I started being sick. I was getting pins and needles in my legs but I just put it down to stress.

“I thought I had Restless Leg Syndrome but then in March last year I started collapsing.”

The Northern Echo:

Nicola Maull was fit and active before her illness

She pleaded with the doctor for help and was referred for tests.

Her phone rang at 11pm one night in June last year. It was the hospital telling Nicola her MRI scan was displaying signs of a swollen spinal cord.

The next day she headed to Newcastle's RVI with her partner Steve to find out what the problem was.

But shortly after she arrived the 44-year-old’s condition unexpectedly took a turn for the worse and she deteriorated so quickly she was rushed to intensive care with life-threatening breathing problems.

Having been admitted to hospital, months of tests followed before she was finally diagnosed with Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder (NMO) – a rare condition which attacks the optic nerve and spinal cord and affects just one in 100,000 people.

“I don’t remember most of what happened when I first went to the RVI,” she said. “I know that I couldn’t have coped with the last ten months in hospital if it wasn’t for the wonderful staff.

“Ward 43 and ward 18 intensive care bent over backwards for me."

There is no cure for the condition. It has left Nicola with respiratory problems and paralysis from below her elbows and her chest.

Now after a year in hospital, with her son Niall and Steve regularly making the 70 mile round trip to Newcastle, she is finally back home in School Aycliffe, but the house needs some modifications to make her life as comfortable as possible.

The Northern Echo:

Nicola Maull back home with son Niall

Nicola’s friend Liz Lambert has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help raise the vital funding and so far more than £2,400 has been donated.

  • To donate, visit gofundme.com/getnicolamaullhome

Nicola said: “I am over the moon with what the community has done for us. The amount of money people have donated is fantastic. The community has really rallied round.

“Niall has been an absolute star and he has grown up so much. It has been hard for him with what is a life-changing situation but he has coped so well. He couldn’t play out with his friends a lot of the time because he was visiting me.

“It is fantastic to be home. I don’t think I could have done much longer in hospital. It has been hard getting use to all the carers but they have been fantastic and make a real difference.”

Liz added: “The long distance from County Durham, short visiting hours, often when Niall was still at school and separation for just under a year, have been a big strain on the family. It’s been heart-breaking.

“Everyone in the town is coming together to support Nicola – the sense of community spirit really is amazing. “We have a long way to go and hope that people will continue to donate generously and help young Niall settle into his mum being back home for good.”

Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder (NMO) is rare neurological condition, also known as Devic’s disease, and most commonly affects the optic nerves and spinal cord.

It is an autoimmune condition, which means a person’s immune system reacts abnormally and attacks the body’s tissues and organs.

The immune system attacks an antibody commonly found in people with NMO called aquaporin-4, resulting in damage to the protective layer that surrounds the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.

Symptoms can include nausea and vomiting, painful muscle contractions, tingling or burning sensations in the affected area of the spinal cord and anything from weakness in the limbs to complete paralysis.

NMO is often diagnosed as Multiple Sclerosis, which also affects the brain and spinal cord and has similar symptoms but the treatment is different.

It affects just one in 100,000 people across Europe but in the UK, it is thought there are less than 1,000 people with the condition, with four females being affected for every male.

There is no cure for NMO, so treatment aims to manage attacks and symptoms, and prevent relapses.