Mother shares story of daughter who is ‘begging to die’ after being infected with unknown illness

Kirsty wants to be taken home to die and does not want her family 'wasting' money on taking her to Switzerland

Kirsty's condition has deteriorated over the past 11 years and has led to her being in and out of hospital (Theresa Keep)

A young woman is begging her mother to allow her to die every day, following an 11-year mysterious illness that has ruined her life.

Kirsty Keep, 23, is thought to have Lupus, a condition where her immune system attacks healthy cells and organs. She has suffered the condition since the age of 12, when she was bitten by a tick in her garden.

She now spends 90 per cent of her time in bed after her health deteriorated further in recent years, according to her mother Theresa.

Initially, the bite covered the area the same size as a human hand and led to Ms Keep spending three weeks in hospital, but in the last month she has been admitted to hospital four times.

Her mother took a video of Kirsty to share the realities of her daughter’s condition.

“Kirsty doesn't like me taking videos, so I've never shown them to anyone before, but I said to her, people need to see how bad it is. It's getting worse and worse”, Mrs Keep told Kent Online.

“She said: 'Just take me home and let me die.' She's begged me to take her to Switzerland and said she doesn't want to do it any more. She asked me: 'Why waste that money, I've got no faith left?'”

Doctors had believed Kirsty was suffering from Lupus, but a doctor at Guy’s hospital suggests it could be Lyme disease.

Ms Keep's mother took her to ArminLabs in Augsburg, Barvaria, which specialises in tick-borne chronic infections, but she is currently too ill for tests to show whether or not she has Lyme disease, as she has five blood infections.

Daily treatments include oxygen therapy which kills bacteria in her body, at a cost of £90 a day.

Ms Keep’s family believe the Sponaugle Wellness Institute in Florida may now be their only hope.

Kirsty was put into an induced coma in October, but doctors were unable to find her veins, so had to put tubes into her neck (Theresa Keep)

The centre uses treatments which prevent the nervous sytem feeling pain and are able to reduce the toxicity of Lyme disease. However as Kirsty is constantly in and out of hospital, she is currently unable to make the trip.

At a cost of roughly £3,500 per week for treatment, Mrs Keep has estimated a 12-week course – the minimum required – with flights, accommodation and living costs, will set the family back around £40,000

Kirsty began having seizures 21 months ago and at the age of 16, her face became paralysed by Bell’s palsy, which caused electric shock like feelings across her face, both of which are believed to be as a result of the bite.

A fundraising page, which has raised more than £26,000, was set up by her sister Chloe, to raise money for diagnosis tests and further treatment.

Lupus is uncommon and affects 15,000 people in England and Wales, according to the NHS, with around 90 per cent of cases affecting women between the ages of 15 and 50.

There is currently no cure for Lupus, but there are medicines that can help sufferers cope with the disease.