When Chloe McMahon-Swift started noticing a pins-and-needles feeling in her feet back in December 2016, she didn't think much of it and figured it was simply the result of the shoes she'd been wearing.
After all, the 22-year-old mother and disability-support worker had plenty of other things to think about, like her patients and 2-year-old son, Sebastian.
Then she came down with flu-like symptoms and felt that prickly sensation travel up to her hands. She talked to her doctors, but they thought it was only part of the fatigue she was feeling from the flu. She was told it would go away when she recovered.
But it didn't go away — in fact, things got worse. Chloe noticed that everyday tasks were suddenly exhausting. "I was getting weaker every day," she said. "I couldn't even hold my son. Even driving to the shops was a mammoth task."
Then one morning as she readied for work, she found herself unable to spit while brushing her teeth.
"I went to spit and realized that I couldn't. I couldn't move my lips. I couldn't move any part of my face," she said.
Ever the trooper, Chloe went to work anyway, but things only got worse from there, as she started having trouble speaking.
After work, she went to the doctor again — and it was then that she learned about Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), a rare autoimmune disease.
Like other autoimmune diseases, it's characterized by the body attacking its own systems. In this case, the immune system attacks the nerves and can cause full-body paralysis.
Needless to say, Chloe and her family were terrified.
[H/T: Daily Mail, 9News, Yahoo]
Chloe McMahon-Swift, from Mernda, Victoria, in Australia, is a disability-support worker and mom to 2-year-old Sebastian.
Everything was going normally until Chloe started feeling a prickling in her hands and feet, as well as shooting pains in her neck. In addition, she felt herself becoming weaker and weaker.
"I was absolutely exhausted doing the littlest things, like washing the dishes [or] showering," she said. "I would cry to my partner, Josh, saying, 'I just want to feel normal again.'"
The real terror came when her face suddenly became paralyzed one morning while she brushed her teeth.
Though she soldiered on and even went to work that day, she visited doctors later that evening. They suggested that a rare autoimmune disorder called Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) might be at play.
"As I was waiting in emergency, the numbness was traveling to my throat, which scared me because the danger with GBS is that it can travel and paralyze your entire body, and you need help with breathing," she said.
GBS affects about one in 100,000 people, and while it's incurable, it is treatable. Medication can be used to slow down the condition's advance.
Chloe stayed in the hospital and began receiving treatment. She is now able to speak properly, though she still requires assistance with eating and walking.
However, she's improving a bit every day, and is currently receiving rehab care.
"I'm not going to be able to work for a while, and I'm a disability-support worker," she said. "I've kind of switched sides and I'm in the wheelchair now. It's just been a whirlwind."
Chloe started a GoFundMe to cover living expenses while in rehab. The initial goal was only $350, the equivalent of a week's rent. Since then, the funding has surpassed $7,000.
"The support has been so incredible, I'm still in shock," she said.
Chloe won't be able to return to work until she can walk and move properly. In the meantime, husband Josh and son Sebastian, as well as the rest of her family, are supporting her recovery.
Luckily, thanks to the treatments available, Chloe will likely be able to walk, play with her son, and go through life again.
As of now, her treatment includes a five-hour IV drip every day for five days.
Chloe is recovering well. Thanks to the money her GoFundMe has raised, she can be sure that her family's expenses will be covered while she's out of work.
If you'd like to pitch in, you can check out Chloe's GoFundMe and learn more about Guillain-Barré syndrome on the Mayo Clinic site.
SHARE Chloe's story to remind everyone you know to always get weird sensations checked out by medical professionals!
