A mum who was told she was "obsessing" over an imagined illness by doctors said her "gut instinct" helped her push through to get a diagnosis for her daughter's severe brain and spine condition.
Lilly Antonelli was around three years old when her bright and bubbly demeanour suddenly changed, turning her into a sad and clumsy little girl.
It was after one of several ambulance rides from their family home in Queensland, Australia that Lilly's mum Michaela grilled doctors on what was causing her daughter's excruciating pain.
But she claims doctors shooed away her concerns, telling her she was "obsessing" over an imagined illness and seeking attention.
Michaela is raising awareness of the condition and urged other parents worrying about their little ones to push for a diagnosis - making sure parents remember to "trust your gut".
Speaking to Australia' s 7News, Michaela said: “For months I knew something was wrong, but I fought with myself and everyone around me. Everyone around me told me I was overreacting.
“They told me I was obsessing over something that wasn’t there and that I was just looking for attention."
Michaela first suspected a change in her daughter some months earlier when Lilly became restless at night.
She became concerned when her nighttime mutterings turned into screams caused by the youngster's searing pain.
Michaela filmed one of the nocturnal episodes, which shows a distressed Lilly begging her mum to make the pain stop.
In the clip, Lilly grabs her own hair and tries to rip it out before turning to headbutt the wall, 7news reports.
And when Lilly was next rushed to hospital, like so many times before, Michaela could show her mum the severity of the situation.
It was this that prompted an emergency response from doctors, who immediately rushed the girl through for an MRI scan.
After looking at Lilly's brain, neurosurgeons said they were "gobsmacked" the youngster could still walk and function.
The little girl had remained untreated with a condition called a Chiari Malformation, where some of the brain slips through a gap in the skull and down into the spine.
Doctors also spotted a massive cyst running from the top to the bottom of her back.
Seven days later, the toddler underwent gruelling brain surgery.
But that operation to save little Lilly's life was just the start of the battle.
Six years later, with Lilly now nine years old, she has undergone 30 brain and spinal surgeries.
In addition to her original devastating diagnosis, she also has complications from excess brain and spinal fluid.
Tethered Spinal Cord Syndrome is another condition she suffers, which limits the movement in her back.
All of her illnesses are incurable, with surgery the only means of relieving her suffering.
“She suffers with debilitating chronic pain but often pushes her limits to try to be a normal nine-year-old,” her proud mum said.
“Lilly is strong-willed and has a determination I have never seen in a child so young. She has so much love for school and just wants a normal life.”
Michaela told other mums to "trust your gut" if they feel there is something not right with their child's health.
“It is real and had I not trusted mine then Lilly would likely no longer be with us or her life would be very different,” she says.
