A young woman with a mystery illness that left her begging to die has finally begun treatment in America after kindhearted people donated £55,000 to help end her decade-long suffering.

Kirsty Keep, 23, has finally started receiving care for agonising pain caused by a bug bite when she was just 12 years old.

Kirsty, from Maidstone, has 1,500 people to thank from across the world for donating to a crowd funding page set up by her sister.

She was inundated with donations after her desperate mum Theresa shared a heartbreaking video of her writhing in pain on a hospital bed in May.

Tragic Kirsty had begged to be taken to a Swiss suicide clinic every day according to her mum, who feared her daughter's time was running out.

Kirsty said on Instagram: "Hey everyone, I made it to the USA and I got a photo just before the storm started.

"I'm having some treatment now and I'll let you'll know how it goes."

For the past seven years, medical experts said she had Lupus, but recently a doctor at Guy's Hospital in London said this was not the case.

Theresa, of Camp Way, Mangravet, believes what may be affecting her daughter is Lyme disease, but tests in the UK came back negative.

Kirsty and her mum have now arrived at the Sponaugle Wellness Institute in Florida, which may be her last resort.

The institute was set up by Dr Rick Sponaugle, and claims to specialise in tick-borne diseases.

Theresa said: "This isn't going to be a quick fix, we still need as much help as possible."

The fund is still being regularly updated, including with a donation of £770 from customers and staff at the Co-Op in Tonbridge.

Visit the fundraising page here.