AN Aberystwyth teenager is lucky to be alive after being struck down with a rare brain illness that often proves fatal.

Lucy Evans, 18, spent seven weeks in hospital seriously ill.

She was battling NMDA encephalitis, a rare condition that sees the immune system attack the brain.

Luckily for Lucy, the disease was diagnosed by a consultant who had seen similar cases before – because it was at first thought she had mental health problems.

The strain of encephalitis that affected Lucy is so rare only one in two million people are affected by it.

It is often misdiagnosed as a mental illness which means people with the condition sometimes don’t receive the treatment they require and can die.

Lucy, who lives in Waunfawr with her parents, says she is grateful to have received the lifesaving treatment she needed and feels lucky to be alive.

Since having an initial seizure, Lucy has suffered from short-term memory issues, and is having to adjust to the issues left after the encephalitis.

But she is determined to raise money to help raise awareness of the illness – and has set herself a target of £50,000.

Lucy told the Cambrian News: “They say it makes or breaks you. It has made me.

“I realise that I can get more out of my life by doing fundraisers and raising money.”

Liza Jackson, Lucy’s mum, said the family realised how lucky they were that a neurologist who studied Lucy’s file had previously dealt with encephalitis NMDA so ordered tests for Lucy which confirmed the condition.

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