Brit teen left fighting for her life after ear infection on idyllic Greek holiday turned into nightmare health battle
Millie Bayles, 19, now remains in intensive care at an Athens hospital after jetting out on a sunshine holiday to the island of Rhodes.
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Her family said she first noticed symptoms of an ear infection - but it turned into something much more serious.
Millie, who comes from North Wales, was diagnosed with bacterial meningitis - leaving her family with a £40,000 bill to get her home.
She was moved 300 miles from the island to intensive care in the Greek capital.
The Brit teen, who is said to be out of immediate danger, remains in a semi-conscious state.
Mum Lauren Murphy and stepfather Pete flew out to be by her side as doctors battle to get her well.
Millie unfortunately failed to take out travel insurance when she went with friends for the summer break.
Her mum has now received a quote for tens of thousands of pounds to pay for her medical bills and bring her back to the UK.
Lauren has been left no choice but to turn to the public for help to pay for her treatment - which includes a private medical emergency flight.
The family have reached their £40,000 target on their appeal with more than 900 donations from family, friends and even strangers - and hope to get Millie home soon.
Lauren said: "We are now at the stage where we can look to bring Millie back to the UK.
I caught brain-swelling virus after snorkelling on holiday
"She is out of immediate danger, but she has a long road to recovery ahead of her."
"She is still only semi-conscious, and we have yet to see how badly this illness will have affected her brain in the long term.
"Unfortunately, due to being an invincible young person, Millie neglected to take out any holiday insurance, and so we have to fund her medical flight home privately.
"We desperately need help to get our girl back to her home country so she can continue her recovery process."
Step-father Pete Murphy said: "I am so overwhelmed by the immediate generosity of all of you lovely people and plenty that are certainly not on my friend list.
"Myself, Lauren and Millie are so grateful for your kind donations. Millie has got a long battle ahead but she certainly has a lot of people routing for her and we can't thank you enough for that."
What is meningitis and how you can you avoid getting it?
MENINGITIS is an infection of the protective membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord (meninges).
It can be very serious if not treated quickly - it can cause life-threatening sepsis and result in permanent damage to the brain or nerves.
Symptoms include:
a high temperature (fever)
being sick
a headache
a rash that does not fade when a glass is rolled over it (but a rash will not always develop)
a stiff neck
a dislike of bright lights
drowsiness or unresponsiveness
seizures (fits)
Call 999 for an ambulance or go to your nearest A&E immediately if you think you or someone you look after could have meningitis or sepsis.
Meningitis is usually caused by a bacterial or viral infection.
Bacterial meningitis is rarer but more serious than viral meningitis.
Infections that cause meningitis can be spread through:
sneezing
coughing
kissing
Vaccinations offer some protection against certain causes of meningitis.
These include the:
MenB vaccine – offered to babies aged 8 weeks, followed by a second dose at 16 weeks and a booster at 1 year
6-in-1 vaccine – offered to babies at 8, 12 and 16 weeks of age
pneumococcal vaccine – 2 doses offered to babies at 12 weeks and 1 year, and a single dose offered to adults aged 65 or over
Hib/MenC vaccine – offered to babies at 1 year of age
MMR vaccine – offered to babies at 1 year and a second dose at 3 years and 4 months
MenACWY vaccine – offered to teenagers, sixth formers and "fresher" students going to university for the first time
Source: NHS
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