Sophie MacDonald eats a bag of spinach a day – in a desperate bid to stop another attack of meningitis.
The 26-year-old has already been struck down with the deadly disease three times in the last four years.
Until then she was in perfect health, having never even taken a Paracetamol.
Doctors, who initially thought she had a brain tumour, have now diagnosed her as having an extremely rare form of viral meningitis called Mollaret’s – a condition for which there is no known cure and can flare up at any time.
Her illness has left her with memory loss, seizures and in so much pain that even lying her head on a soft pillow can be excruciating.
At one point she was taking 600 pills a month just to keep the condition in check.
As part of her fight back to health, Misss MacDonald is eating a bag of spinach every day after research showed that the vegetable drastically improved brain function.
The ROV skill pool coordinator, from Aberdeen, said: “At one point I was on so many painkillers, I was just out of it. I don’t want to have to take pills all my life so I’ve tried so many holistic therapies and diets. I must have spent thousands.
“I now eat about a bag of spinach a day because it’s really good for the brain cells. And I juice the vegetables because it takes less energy to absorb than if my body had to digest it; so the thinking is that the energy that would have been used to break down food can just be used to heal.
“I don’t know how I’d feel, if I stopped doing that. But even if it is just a subconscious thing, at least I know I’m doing my best to stay healthy. I’d try anything.”
Despite her condition, Miss MacDonald ran the London marathon last year and raised £7,000 for the charity, Meningitis Now.
Miss MacDonald first fell ill four years ago when she woke up in agony after going to bed with what she thought was a cold.
She said: “It was like someone was crunching my bones with a hammer in the back of my head. It was the most excruciating pain I have ever felt.”
Two years later she suffered a second attack – and this time the virus started to attack her organs.
Miss MacDonald spent the next three months in and out of consciousness, as she battled to overcome the illness.
The virus struck again last year.
She added: “I don’t remember who I was before this. I feel robbed. Until this happened to me I was fine. I was a picture of health.
“It’s scary because I can’t predict it; I have absolutely no control over it.”
Miss MacDonald is planning a 10-day trek through the Patagonian Andes next February, in aid of Meningitis Now, to help raise funds for further research into the condition.
She will be joined on the challenge by her mum, Katrina.
She said: “I knew nothing about meningitis until it completely changed my life. I don’t know how I’ll feel after the trek. But if I can help even one person understand, or one survivor know that they’re not alone, then it’ll all be worth it.”