A mum who was mistaken for being drunk while picking up her daughter from school was actually suffering from a rare illness.
Charlotte Debieux, 25, says she was left feeling mortified when she was asked if she'd been drinking while collecting her little girl Poppy.
The mum had been experiencing an odd lack-of-sensation in her body and back pain for around a month.
Charlotte said: "I'd been walking around for weeks, looking drunk. I was finding it hard to walk because my feet felt numb.
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"My daughter's school was asking if I'd been drinking, and I was mortified. That was the point where I realised something was seriously wrong.
"After managing to stumble home I did cry, I was worried that I'd have social services or the police round."
She was initially told she could has MS, but a scan ruled it out.
Charlotte eventually found that her stumbling and loss of sensation was caused by Guillain Barré Syndrome - a one in a million disease that left her paralysed within weeks of the diagnosis.
Doctors have since told her the condition could have been brought on by an infection or even a bout of 'flu.
She first realised something was wrong in August last year, when she began getting numbness in her genital area which then spread to her limbs - she says the feeling was similar to pins and needles. This worsened and she began to suffer from difficulty swallowing and excruciating back pain.
By September her condition had got so bad she had been admitted to hospital.
"By the time my mum got to hospital I couldn't walk," Charlotte said. "In my private area, I couldn't feel anything.
"My feet and hands felt like pins and needles.
"My back pain was ridiculous."
At hospital she was given intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), using donated blood, and underwent physio and occupational therapy. She slowly began to get stronger and was able to walk with the help of a zimmer frame, and now uses a wheelchair and mobility scooter to get around.
Charlotte is hopeful that she will make a full recovery, but has been warned by doctors this could take up to three years.
She added: "I just want to be able to pick my daughter up and swing her around in the summer.
"Every day is different. If I did that now I'd have to sleep for two hours afterwards.
"I want to be able to push her on the swings."
Featured Image Credit: SWNSTopics: UK News, Inspirational