FIREMAN Rob Tiley is making a dinosaur-size effort to raise funds for a life-restoring operation for his wife Sophie which NHS England will not cover.

Mr Tiley, of Wiveliscombe, is taking on a 100-mile Jurassic Coast trek, in Dorset, from May 21 to 24, finishing on the couple’s first wedding anniversary.

A second Wiveliscombe firefighter, Ross Jennings, is also fund-raising for Sophie by running the North Devon Marathon on June 28.

Sophie, aged 26, developed two rare digestive conditions, achalasia and gastroparesis, paralysing her oesophagus and stomach and leaving her dependent on a feeding tube.

Wiveliscombe fireman Rob Tiley and his wife Sophie.
Wiveliscombe fireman Rob Tiley and his wife Sophie. (Contributed)

A specialist operation could ease Sophie’s symptoms, allow her to eat relatively normally again, and potentially end the need for the feeding tube and ‘giving her back her independence’.

But, the NHS will only fund the £20,000 cost for patients in Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, meaning Sophie has had to launch a £25,000 GoFundMe appeal, which has brought in nearly £14,000 from almost 250 donors.

Sophie‘s condition saw her lose three stone in weight and suffer ‘malnutrition, chronic fatigue, excruciating stomach pains, nausea, and excessive bloating’.

She said: “My life was flipped upside down.

“I had months off sick from work, my wedding was almost cancelled, I could not see friends or family, walk my dog, and some days could not even dry my hair after a shower due to severe fatigue.

“For months, I was spending the majority of my days in bed and even now I have to rest so much compared to a healthy person.

“All my life choices are currently taken away from me and I never know what each day will bring.

“It has prevented us starting a family, progressing my career, and travel is now also super complicated.

“I struggle with socialising normally, and going out to a restaurant is incredibly daunting.”

Fund-raising has passed the half-way mark for Wiveliscombe woman Sophie Tiley to pay for a rare life-changing operation.
Fund-raising has passed the half-way mark for Wiveliscombe woman Sophie Tiley to pay for a rare life-changing operation. (Contributed)

Sophie exhausted all available treatment options without any success until last March she was admitted to Oxford University Hospital, where she had a Jejunostomy feeding tube inserted into her small bowel and now feeds every night while asleep.

She said: “This has got me back to a healthy weight and enabled me to get back to work.

“However, I still really struggle with symptoms and generally just living my life.

“My body and my mind are constantly stuck in survival mode.

“If I have a good day and manage to socialise/do something fun, it can take days to recover.”

Freemasons in Wiveliscombe raised £500 toward an appeal for Wiveliscombe fireman's wife Sophie Tiley to cover the cost of a specialist operation.
Freemasons in Wiveliscombe raised £500 toward an appeal for Wiveliscombe fireman's wife Sophie Tiley to cover the cost of a specialist operation. (Contributed)

Sophie said one final option remained to give her a chance of a more independent life again, a gastric pacemaker fitted to her stomach wall to artificially make the muscles contract to break down and digest food.

She said: “If successful, my feeding tube can be removed and my symptoms will be majorly reduced.”

Any funds left over following the surgery and follow-up appointments will go to the charities GUTs UK and Achalasia Action.

Sophie said: “They do incredible work to raise awareness for digestive conditions and help with research of these rare conditions to, hopefully, one day, find a cure.”