After giving birth to Hayden four years ago, Charlene Johnstone, the now 24-year-old mom from Scotland was excited to celebrate life with her  new baby boy. Unfortunately, right after her pregnancy, she was diagnosed with gastroparesis, a form of stomach paralysis which has caused her to slowly deteriorate and “starve to death” for the past four years.

Gastroparesis, or as Johstone refers to as “just a fancy medical term for slowly starving to death” is a disease that cause severe digestive problems and malnutrition. According to Daily Mail, some doctors hypothesized that her condition may have been a result of the baby putting too much pressure in her womb, causing irreparable damage to the nerves of her intestines.

In Johnstone’s case, her condition was so severe that she has not been able to eat for four years, dropping 6 dress sizes and getting sick at least 15 times a day.

“I’ve sat with her over the last few years and watched her deteriorate,” her friend Stacey Brown said. “She’s probably one of the bravest people I know – she’s an inspiration.”

To get the nutrition that she needs, Johnstone now uses a tube that bypasses her intestine completely.

But despite all this, the brave mom is living one day at a time for Hayden. “I may wake up unwell,” she said, “but at least I wake up.”

Watch her heartbreaking video below.