Porthleven auction tops Nicolette Baker lifesaving surgery total

The auction was organised by friends of 36-year-old Nicolette Baker, who suffers from an incredibly rare condition that leads to sickness and pain whenever she tries to eat, meaning she is literally starving to death.

It has left her massively underweight and currently weighing only three stone.

She says without treatment she will die as she becomes weaker and weaker and more organs are starved of blood supply.

However, Nicolette has found a clinic in Germany specialising in severe vascular compressions, which has agreed to perform what is hoped will be lifesaving surgery this February – providing she can find the £50,000 cost.

The £50,000 figure does not include accommodation, flights, travel or medical insurance, and Nicolette will need to spend six weeks in Germany recovering, meaning an £80,000 target was set.

Thanks to the generosity of people donating to a Go Fund Me page at www.gofundme.com/f/help-nicolette-get-life-saving-surgery and the auction on Sunday, that total has now surpassed £90,000.

Nicolette Baker set up the fundraising for lifesaving surgery

Artists and businesses from all over Cornwall gave their support to the auction, which took place at a packed Out of the Blue in Porthleven, the village where Nicolette went to school as a child during the 90s.

It was organised by fellow classmate Mark Pollard and their teacher at the time, James Kitto.

James said: "We were delighted at the incredible response and people’s generosity – both in the run up to the auction and on the day itself.

"It is remarkable that in the 20 days that we had to organise the auction, we had so many fantastic things donated – we ended up with 128 lots, as well as a wonderful raffle.

"There was a wonderful atmosphere on the evening of the auction – an atmosphere of love and a determination to help Nicolette aim towards a better quality of life.

"We were treated to musical interludes from local singer Ali Hoswell and the whole place was buzzing with excitement."

Nicolette, who now lives in the Truro area, was unable to attend the auction in post for health reasons, but sent an audio message to be played to all attending, thanking everyone for their support.

She also posted an updated to the fundraising page on Monday, following the auction, saying: "Oh my, wow, well look at this... YOU have reached my target. I am absolutely indebted to you, every one of you. Everyone who has donated in any way – monetarily, by sharing, by trusting or by connecting. I thank you all.

"So dear friends, until I am at the clinic and have been discharged I cannot know the full costs of this journey and the expenses to be incurred.

"However my goal has now been met and for this reason I want to make it clear that any unspent donations following my surgery, recovery and aftercare will be unquestionably refunded in order of those most recent.

"So many of you are keen for me to keep you informed on my journey, by which I'm most humbled and it is the very least I can do.

"I will be turning off donations in due course, with my eternal gratitude for every one of them, and will keep you posted on my rainbow coloured journey of which you are all such a magical part.

"Before I go I want to give special thanks to the star who begun this fundraiser on my behalf, when I was too shy to go public. Without her leap of faith and action I would not be here today, because this dream would not have had the breath to survive. Sophie, thank you.

"And how can I not mention my brothers James and Mark who, along with their army of terrific troops, have filled my soul with a glowing nostalgia that has cradled my fight and surrounded me with shimmering seeds of hope and love that have flourished into a remarkable determination to see this dream to the end.

"Gillian, Steve...thank YOU for every day being the mother to my beloved whippet Eden that I aspire to be. Without you, I could not have survived. He is my life."