Young and beautiful, why does Kirsty beg her mother to take her to Dignitas? Haunting story of the 23-year-old who can't bear to live with her mystery illness

Since she was first taken to hospital 11 years ago after a severe reaction to an insect bite, Kirsty Keep has been admitted about 55 times suffering from ever worsening, debilitating symptoms. 


Diagnosed in 2008 with the auto-immune condition lupus - where the body produces too many antibodies which cause inflammation affecting the skin, joints and organs - Kirsty has, over the ensuing years, been prescribed a long list of medications. But in March, a lupus specialist at Guy's Hospital in London said her symptoms, including chronic pain and fits, might be caused by the genetic condition Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), which affects the skin, bones and connective tissue. She is now waiting to see another specialist at University College Hospital in London. The family, including mother Theresa, feels the NHS - unable to cure her - now regards Kirsty as a 'nuisance'.