THIS PAGE IS NOW CLOSED. THANK YOU TO ALL THE GENEROUS DONORS WHO SUPPORTED JILL. My sister Jill is stuck in hospital because her home doesn't have an access ramp, and she desperately needs an electric wheelchair so she can get on with her life. I’m hoping you might help. This is what happened to Jill: On 11 January 2017, she got a tiny cut on her shin while swimming in a river in Queensland where she had taken her daughter for a few days break. Three days later she was on the operating table at Royal Melbourne Hospital, fighting for her life. The surgeon came out and asked us to sit down. He looked at me and at Jill's daughter, Harriet. "I don't think she's going to make it", he said. Harriet and I held each other and wept. She was facing losing her mum. I could lose my little sister and best friend, and her son Archie was only 17. How would Archie cope? He was just starting VCE. He already struggles with autism and he and Jill are really close. But two weeks in a coma in intensive care and four more operations later, Jill was still hanging on. Finally she emerged - dopey, confused, frail and with no idea what was going on. Jill had contracted necrotising fasciitis - a bacterial disease that kills the soft flesh and it had destroyed most of her right leg. Three of the five bacteria found in her wound, later identified in the lab, were previously unheard of. In operation after operation the surgeons chased the infection up her leg, hoping they might save the leg, but they were mostly trying to save her life. Somehow she hung on as we willed her to survive. When she finally woke up enough to be more aware, the severe sepsis had rendered her almost completely paralysed. She could not even raise a single finger. Her voice was reduced to a strained whisper - one word per breath. Skin grafts spread up her right leg from toes to mid-thigh. The leg was spindly, most made up of just the muscles, ligaments. All the soft flesh had to be cut away by the surgeons as this is the only treatment. Her right foot sat at an odd angle, the result of so many ligaments and tendons being removed. Five months (in hospital) later, and after intensive physiotherapy, she had learned to move again, finger by finger, limb by limb. (Learning to put her fingers together to pick up a cotton ball was her first big breakthrough. It took a week of practice.) She insisted on leaving hospital and battled along at home for several months, trying to regain something of her old life. Unfortunately, hope for her damaged leg declined. In spite of physio, splints and special boots, the foot continued to twist. After many apointments and consultation with 5 different surgeons, she (and they) concluded that amputation was the only option. So, on 27 November 2017 she went back into hospital and had her right leg amputated below the knee. All was looking good for 10 days or so before discovering she had a drug resistant infection with few treatment options still available to her. Again, she managed to fight through that. Now she's just waiting in hospital, feeling better but desperate to finally get out of hospital and home. Two things are standing in her way: a custom ramp so she can get in and out of her rental house, and an electric wheelchair to get around. A year of no or limited income has wiped out all her funds - every last cent, even the little Superannuation that she had. If she has to wait for government funding for a ramp (NDIS doesn't reach her area until late 2018) it will take months. And the most she can get in assistance for the $3,500 electric wheelchair she's going to need is $800 from her health fund. So, I thought I'd ask all her friends if they'd each put in something. Family will help - we've all done as much as we can. Jill's daughter Harriet is moving in to help look after her. She will get a prosthesis but it will take 6-12 months, and she'll still need her wheelchair anyway. Those who know Jill know that she is a very determined person. Losing her independence is driving her mad and she hates asking for help. So I thought I'd do it for her. Any small amount will help Jill get a ramp built at her house (they won't let her go home without one). Jill has had a lot of illness in her life and this is really the last straw, financially and physically. I, and Jill's family, would be so grateful for anything you are able to give. We also want to thank everyone who has already helped, during what has been a very difficult year, from the bottom of our hearts. You have made such a difference. Kindest regards, Virginia Ruchel