A SOCIAL media fundraiser inspired by a Carlisle woman’s health battle has left her twin sister overwhelmed at the strength of its success.

Twenty five-year-old Emma Vasquez said it was “amazing to see” more than £6,000 raised in just a month - all inspired by the her twin sister Jodie.

Jodie has the rare condition, called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), which affects the tissues in her body and has resulted in several of her organs failing.

Refusing to let her health battle stop her from helping others, Jodie has raised more than £40,000 to date.

Her most recent fundraiser was on behalf of Jigsaw, Cumbria’s dedicated hospice for young people.

The grand total raised by Jodie’s most recent effort - £6,260 - will fund Jigsaw’s entire operations for three days.

Running for about a month, the social media fundraiser took place at a time when Jodie was critically ill in hospital after complications from surgery.

Jodie’s twin sister Emma said: “It was amazing to see so much support for Jodie at a time when she was really struggling.

“We didn’t expect such a strong response.

“The support is just incredible. I’m totally overwhelmed by it.”

Emma explained that raising funds for Jigsaw means a lot to Jodie.

“Jodie comes here for respite care, so it was good that we helped raise awareness for what Jigsaw does, as well as raising awareness for Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.”

She added that the syndrome “affects each person in a different way.

“The logo used by the UK’s main support charity for people with the syndrome is a zebra, because no two zebras have the same stripes.”

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Sam Johnston, community and events fundraiser for Jigsaw, explained how valuable Jodie’s recent fundraising effort is to Jigsaw, based at the Eden Valley Hospice on Durdar Road, Carlisle.

“Every day, to run Jigsaw it costs £1,226.46,” he said.

“So you’re looking at nearly three days worth of care there, for everyone here.

“It means a massive amount to the people at Jigsaw.

“We currently look after roughly 50 children from across the county, and that’s from all parts of Cumbria.”

Sam added that Jodie and Emma are familiar faces to all the staff at the hospice.

“Jodie’s someone that we all know know really well here at Jigsaw.

“To have the support of all of her friends and family, not only for her journey but also for the care that Jigsaw provides as a whole, is really valuable to us.

“It’s absolutely amazing.”