A teenager was told he was a week from death after a mystery illness originally diagnosed as acid reflux left him so weak he couldn't dress himself.
Student Harrison Hayes had been studying for his A Levels when he was struck down with odd symptoms at 17, which left him breathless and needing to constantly stop to rest while on walks.
But Harrison - who goes by Harry - says his strange symptoms persisted, progressing into general fatigue and random aches all over his body.
Doctors were left baffled by his illness and, after several A&E trips, Harry was given a range of answers as to why he was constantly exhausted with diagnoses including a collapsed lung and even that he may have acid reflux.
Medic prescribed him steroids, the Manchester Evening News reports, which seemed to improve his condition seeing the keen sportsman return to playing football and cricket.
But several weeks later, Harry was attending his parents' evening with his mum when he was struck by severe fatigue that was so debilitating, he couldn't even sit up in his chair.
Looking back at his illness, the now 22-year-old says several more GP visits were made before doctors began taking blood tests to look more closely at what could be causing it.
A few days later, his condition deteriorated rapidly leaving him bedridden to the point where he could no longer dress himself.
"My mum had to help me get changed," he said. "She brought me all my meals. I couldn’t get out of bed."
It was a late night in mid December 2017 when Harry’s family were urgently called into hospital.
Less than two months after his symptoms started, Harry's test results were back – he had Addison's disease.
Addison's disease, also known as primary adrenal insufficiency or hypoadrenalism, is a rare disorder of the adrenal glands that sit at the top of the kidneys.
The adrenal gland is damaged in Addison's disease, so it does not produce enough cortisol or aldosterone.
About 9,000 people in the UK have Addison's disease, with over 300 new cases diagnosed each year. If left untreated, it can be fatal.
It can affect people of any age, although it's most common between the ages of 30 and 50.
Addison's is also more common in women than men.
Early-stage symptoms of the disease are similar to other more common health conditions, such as clinical depression or flu.
Harry was immediately rushed into critical care and thankfully made a recovery, but will now need to take medication to help with his fatigue for the rest of his life.
"I was just so weak," Harry said. "The doctor saw the blood tests and said it was a rare disease but she thought I might have it.
"In the middle of December, I got a call late at night telling me to go into A&E.
"They hooked me up to loads of stuff and put me into critical care.
"If I don’t have my medication, I will start feeling fatigued. It can be fatal.
"When I was in hospital, they told me if it had been another week, I could have died.
"I didn’t realise how scary it was at the time. It made me very delirious; I didn’t know what was going on. I found it really tricky to comprehend the situation I was in.
"When I got home, I realised that it was a very scary time and I still talk about it with my family now."
Harry is now set to run the Manchester Marathon on April 16, raising money for the Addison's Disease Self Help Group (ADSHG).
The biggest struggle with Addison's Disease is often the diagnosis, as the symptoms can often be wrongly associated with other medical issues,” Harry, who lives in Leeds, said.
"This means that diagnosis is often a long and horrible process, and can sometimes lead to death if the disease is not diagnosed in time.
"This is my main motivation to raise funds for this cause, to generate some awareness for a very rare disease, hopefully leading to fewer people not being diagnosed in time.
"I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the amazing doctors and nurses who diagnosed me and looked after me."
To donate, follow the link by clicking here.
