A woman who was starving to death due to a rare condition has tragically died hours before a lifesaving operation. Nicolette Baker, 36, suffered from Superior Mesenteric Artery syndrome (SMAS), which made eating excruciatingly painful. She weighed only 20kg after a lifetime of fighting the condition.
While in palliative care, Baker launched a fundraiser for a life-saving operation in Germany. She raised almost £100,000, with the surgery expected to take place this week. However, she passed away before it could proceed.
James Kitto, a former teacher who helped run a charity auction for Baker, expressed shock at the news. He said: 'It is absolutely heartbreaking news. Nicolette had travelled to Germany and was so close to having the operation that could have changed her life, but it wasn’t to be.' He described her as a selfless person who regularly cooked for the homeless and spent Christmas Day serving dinner at a shelter.
Baker's family thanked everyone for their kind messages and shared memories. Mark Pollard, a former classmate, said: 'Perhaps it’s a small condolence that she knew that she had literally thousands of people behind her and supporting her and that she died trying.'
Despite her condition, Baker remained hopeful and continued to help others, volunteering at a soup kitchen and a charity shop. She had been wrongly told she was anorexic for most of her life before being diagnosed with SMAS.
