• last year
A woman battled a rare autoimmune disease which made her "hallucinate" while working on the tills at Aldi.
Ciara Wilkie, 26, from Castle Vale in Birmingham, got into an argument with customers and colleagues over "fake" money while suffering from encephalitis.
The rare neurological condition causes inflammation of the brain and leads to symptoms including seizures, mood swings and behavioural changes.
Ciara's boyfriend, Joe, 26, a tattoo artist, became concerned when he found her "rambling" at home and filling three notebooks with scribbles.
She was rushed to hospital after having a seizure, and it took medics three weeks to diagnose her.

During that time Ciara's symptoms got worse - until she couldn’t recognise people, forgot how to talk and refused to go to sleep.
Ciara said her "whole life has changed" since the diagnosis - she can no longer do day-to-day things like work, drive, cook, or walk to the shops.
She still needs round-the-clock care but is determined to get back on track and raise awareness for her condition.

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