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A mum thought she was being prank-called by children only to discover it was her son begging for help after falling ill and left unable to walk or talk. Andrea Wray says her son Ash Wray woke up one morning feeling unwell but put it down to working overtime at a local hotel.

The mum-of-two says the 35-year-old collapsed at work but doctors believed it was an ear infection and prescribed him antibiotics. Andrea then noticed Ash's gait change, starting to walk then not 'finishing' his step, something that continued for two months.

One morning the 63-year-old received a call and, perplexed by the garbled repetition of the word 'mum', was about to hang up believing it to be a school kid prank. It was only when the retired nurse noticed his name flashing up on her phone that she knew it was him so rushed home.

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Believing Ash was having a stroke and unable to speak, Andrea rushed him to hospital where doctors said it wasn't a stroke but said they 'didn't know what it was.' Once home, Ash began developing 'extremely painful' seizures and lost his ability to walk and talk and still doesn't have an official diagnosis since it happened in April 2021.

Ash is now fundraising for a stairlift as he claims the council won't install one for his privately rented fourth-floor flat and he's forced to 'bumshuffle' down stairs. Andrea, who lives in Abergele, North Wales, said: "I got a phone call [while out driving]. All I could hear is 'Mum mum mum mum' and I said to my mum 'just hang up the phone Mum, it's kids playing about in the Easter holiday.

"Just as she was about to hang up she said 'no, it says Ash on the front' so I said 'Ash are you there?'. I rushed home and he couldn't talk so I rang the doctor who said 'I think he's having a stroke, you need to phone for an ambulance straight away'. They said it wasn't a stroke [at the hospital] but they didn't know what it was."

"That's when he developed seizures very much like epilepsy but extremely painful to watch and extremely painful for him. He's completely and utterly disorientated when he comes back around, he doesn't know where he is or what's happened. He lives in this body that won't work for him with an absolutely fantastic brain.

"It's harrowing. I have to admit that I get up every single morning and I think 'is Ash going to be here or has something else happened and he's not going to know who I am?'. It's hard but as a mum you have to face these things."

Ash's health issues first started in February 2021 when he collapsed at work and struggled to walk, before his panicked phone call in April 2021. Andrea said: "One morning he got up and said he didn't feel very good but he went to work and collapsed.

"Initially they thought it was an ear infection so he went along with antibiotics and home rest. [Then] he would lift his foot and it would just stay there, it didn't have anywhere to go. I would say 'you need to finish your step Ash what are you doing', and he would say 'I can't Mum'.

"I would say 'oh come on don't be so stupid just move your leg' and this went on for a couple of weeks [before the call]." Due to a rare immunity to anaesthesia, Ash is unable to undergo tests that would finally reveal the cause.

Ash, who provided his quotes in writing as he's still unable to talk, said: "I feel very frustrated with the lack of a concrete diagnosis. I don't fit into a set list of conditions. I am unable to move forward so we are forced to live with trial and error. Some days I can handle this condition to a level where I am able to manage in my flat in a way that is of my own making.

"There are many times when even getting out of bed is an extraordinary challenge. My head knows what I should do, but my body isn't co-operating, which is frustrating as well as painful. I suffer with really bad seizures, which completely take over my body in horrendous spasms, with me becoming as stiff as a board and screaming with the pain at the top of my voice.

"This can be three to four times during a single seizure. This is the worst feeling to experience, I'm petrified. It's almost impossible to describe to anyone."

Now, Ash has set up a fundraiser for a stairlift as he claims Denbighshire County Council is refusing to fund it. Ash, who lives in Rhyl, North Wales, said: "To have to beg for something that is not a want but a need for me to get to the outside world is simply upsetting and degrading. Especially when you have never been faced with this in your life before.

"When you become someone in a wheelchair, do your rights become unavailable? We have to make others aware of what goes on behind and within the chair and how and what we need to survive."

A spokesperson for Denbighshire County Council said: "Tenants who do live in Council owned properties may be eligible for adaptions to their home without the aid of a grant. This would be based on recommendations from an occupational therapist following assessment.

“Private homeowners and tenants may be eligible for a Disabled Facilities Grant to assist with adaptions, following an assessment by relevant professionals, to determine feasibility of required adaptations. Those who rent from a housing association may be able to have them arrange any work.

“The Council can assist residents in finding the most suitable pathway for home adaption suited to their living arrangements and we encourage people to get in touch so we can advise and support them in finding the best options."

To donate to Ash's fundraiser visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/building-bridges-not-barriers-a-stairlift-for-ash