A British woman is fighting for her life in Australia after being struck down with a rare form of blood poisoning from a stray kitten.
Scarlet Goodrich faces spending Christmas in a Melbourne hospital after contracting meningitis, blood poisoning and swelling of the brain.
The 22-year-old was working on a fruit farm when she came into contact with the feral feline.
Now friends and family are desperately raising funds to pay for her health care and trying to get her back to Britain for Christmas.
Her mom Alethea has flown to be at her daughter’s bedside and a JustGiving page has been set up for the suffering Brit.
Scarlet has had to undergo a painful lumbar puncture to establish what caused the mysterious crippling back pain.
Along with her mother, her auntie from New Zealand also flew to Australia to be by her niece’s side.
Her uncle Christian Goodrich said:”The doctors think she might have picked up this very rare and unusual toxin from a stray kitten she came into contact with while fruit picking on a farm.”
“This has come as such a shock to the family.”
“It’s a very rare and unusual scenario which has baffled the doctors and specialists.”
“She had contracted pneumococcal meningitis as well as mutated strain of toxin plasma.”
“She’s also got acute ADEM which is a swelling of the brain, and last week had to have an emergency operation.”
“She has battled through the meningitis and the toxin, so it is mainly the ADEM which doctors are trying to address.”
The latest update to her JustGiving page said: “All things considered, Scarlet has been doing well the past 24 hours. Her nurse is pleased by how responsive she is following the operation.”
“She’s acknowledging she’s in hospital, nodding, squeezing with her hand and opening her eyes.”
“Scarlet in herself seems a lot more calm.”
“Full results of the biopsy are still inconclusive and the bone marrow test has been put back so that doctors can prioritize keeping the swelling on the brain at bay (which is now being constantly monitored).”