A LYTHAM mum, devastated by diabetes, is in a race against time to raise enough money for lifesaving treatment in America.

If 37-year-old Elizabeth Holt does not travel soon, she is going to be too ill to fly. But an appeal set up in May to raise £7,000 still has £5,900 to go and time is running out.

"Virgin Atlantic have given us a plane ticket," said her husband Robert, 37, who gave up his upholstery business to look after his wife, "but Liz is getting to the point where she's becoming too ill to travel and if this appeal does not reach the target soon, it's not going to happen."

Liz was stricken with diabetes five years ago, since when she has had 78 operations and suffered 137 abscesses.

"Wherever they put a needle in she gets an abscess," said Robert. "She's running out of places to put them."

They have had their Mornington Road home adapted to cope with the wheelchair to which Liz has been confined for four years.

What would deliver the lifesaving insulin she needs, explained Robert, is a Minimed pump only available at the moment in America.

"You can get pumps here but they don't run as well as this one, which will eventually enable her to use inhaled insulin."

Said Liz: "I am feeling extremely poorly at the moment and my health is deteriorating to a point where the doctors will say I'm not able to travel.

"I want to do the journey because the people over there are the experts in this treatment and the NHS staff here have not had the same training."

The race to get her to the States is all the more poignant as the couple's 19-year-old daughter, Zoe, also has a life-threatening disease, cystic fibrosis, which is worsening.

"Every minute they spend together is very precious," said Robert. "Sometimes they're both in different hospitals for weeks at a time and myself and my son Daniel are running between the two of them."

Daniel, 18, works for a distribution company in Blackpool and Zoe, who wanted to be a midwife before illness limited her working hours, is just finishing an NVQ college course, having gained nine GCSEs despite her health problems.

Liz said: "I have a great family - they've been wonderfully supportive."

If the US journey proves beyond her, Liz went on, they would have to have the equipment sent over and fitted here - but it would still cost as much.

Anyone who would like to make a donation should send a cheque to the Elizabeth Holt Diabetes Fund, account number 00485192, at the Halifax plc, 26 St Georges Road, St Annes.

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