Woman with rare condition 'in disbelief' at generosity of Granada Reports viewers
Lauren and her parents Denise and Paul spoke to Lucy and Gamal in the Granada Reports studio
A woman who has a rare condition which means her jaw is locked says she wants to 'eat pizza' and 'see the world' after strangers helped her raise thousand for life-changing surgery.
Lauren Bolton, from Rossendale, Lancashire, lives in constant pain and is unable to eat solid food.
Without urgent surgery her family fear her health will continue to deteriorate.
In a last-ditch attempt the 29-year-old’s family set up a fundraising page in the hope of raising money for private surgery to replace her jaw joint - which prompted a local businessman to step forward and offer help.
The anonymous man told Lauren if she could raise just over half the £95,000 needed for the surgery, he would donate the rest.
After describing the impact of the condition on ITV Granada Reports, Lauren then watched as donations increased to £61,000 in just a few days.
Lauren said: "It's unbelievable and it still hasn't sunk in.
"To the people that have made this possible I would like to say thank you so much. Words will never be enough. I just keep saying thank you. This means everything. To not be in constant pain. To be able to eat and to be able to plan for the future.
Lauren's mum Denise said: "It's absolutely incredible. We sat there watching the GoFundMe go up and up and we were all in complete disbelief.
"We've had letters through the post, private emails, cheques through the post. We've had money given to Lauren for a spa day. It's just unbelievable."
Lauren has late stage Temporomandibular Joint Disease (TMD) which has damaged her jaw joint and her only option is a full replacement.
But it is a procedure so complex, only a handful of surgeons can do it and most are private.
On the NHS, Lauren is looking at a wait of almost four years for the surgery, which her family fear she will not survive and are worried about the impact of her weight loss on her organs.
Now, a possible end to Lauren's suffering is in sight.
Her dad Paul said: "There have been a lot of tears. I thought I was alright and then I set off again today. I am just dehydrated. It's just absolutely incredible.
"I got a call from him (the anonymous donor) and he has just said they are grandparents and parents. That they have been lucky that their kids have been healthy and he's lucky that he had a successful business.
"He said you tugged at the heart strings and that he wanted to help. I rang the girls and it was incredible.
"He's an incredible bloke. When we hit the number he called me and he was shaking. We were both crying. They are proper lovely people."
Lauren said: "It's hard to imagine what life is going to be like after the operation because it has been like this for so long. I just want to eat a pizza. I want to get out of the house and see the world and build my career the way I always planned to."
Denise said: "The main thing is watching Lauren grow.
"Starting her doctorate as she planned to because she still wants to pursue her career. It's so important to us because she did so well at school and uni. It's hard to imagine Lauren eating pizza but I would love nothing more than to go for a meal and sit down with her and eat one together."
Since ITV Granada's report on Lauren's condition, she's received money and support both online, in person, and even through the post.
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