A Sydenham single mum with a degenerative disease needs to raise more than £45,000 to get treatment abroad.

Sue Schofield, who lives in Worsley Bridge Road, has multiple system atrophy (MSA) which means eventually her muscles will stop working and her friends are raising money for stem cell therapy.

There is no cure for the disease, which effects about 3,000 people in the UK, but her friends hope that therapy will ease Ms Schofield’s symptoms and allow her to spend more time with her daughter.

Gabrielle Van der Velde said: “It is paramount that Sue gets her treatment as soon as possible, to enable the stem treatment to have maximum effect to get Sue back to some kind of normality that we all take for granted.

“Sue’s daughter Phoebe is only nine and is a carer for her when she's not at school. This has had such a huge impact on her little life, she adores her mummy.

“They need time to make some special memories as mother and daughter while they can, without this help Phoebe will not be able to communicate with her and will be orphaned within 18 months.

“There is no cure but this will help make sue more comfortable and give Phoebe more quality time with her mummy.”

The NHS website describes MSA as a “disease of the nervous system that leads to premature death. It results in parts of the brain and spinal cord gradually becoming more damaged over time.”

The symptoms of MSA include bladder problems, dizziness when standing up, problems with coordination, balance and speech, and feeling stiff and slowness of movement.

Ms Schofield, an ambulance driver, was diagnosed with the disease last year after initially being told she had Parkinson’s which shares similar symptoms.

Miss Van der Velde, Sonya Krett, who has known Ms Schofield, 61, since primary school, Jan Hossack and Jo Sounders have set up a Go Fund Me page and have raised more than £1,800 so far.

A statement posted on the page said: “Sue began to struggle as an ambulance driver at work to the point that her speech was slurred and she was unstable on her feet.

“One day Sue was taking her daughter to school and collapsed and fell on her daughter.

“An ambulance was called and on arrival at the hospital Sue’s daughter was fine but the doctor recognised that Sue was not well and from that point investigations started.”

“In simple terms her muscles stop working.

“She is already showing signs of muscle weakness as she cannot walk unaided her muscles in her face are showing signs which means that her speech will soon be unrecognisable until it goes.”

“She will be unable to eat and will be fed by a tube all her muscles will stop working and she will die and not before her whole body is paralysed she will not be able to speak walk or have any normal movement.

“There is no cure for Sue but with the help of you and everyone that you can think of family and friends to ask please help Sue.”

To donate to the fundraiser visit www.gofundme.com/sue-s-treatment-to-live.