A woman was left paralysed from the neck down after being bitten by a mosquito while travelling abroad.

Natasha Porter was confined to a wheelchair for four months and unable to move anything below her neck for three weeks after the insect attacked.

Ms Porter had developed Guillain- Barré syndrome – a disease where the body attacks its own nervous system.

At first just one toe went numb but within four days Ms Porter could barely walk and quickly lost control of her entire body. She couldn’t feel her hands, feet or legs – or move anything below the neck.

Ms Porter, from Crawley, said: “Every time I went to sleep at night I wondered if I might not wake up. “All I could think was I’m 23 – I don’t want to die.”

The traveller had flown to Western Australia in March 2012 and spent seven months working in a cafe to save up cash for a trip down the east coast.

Her symptoms appeared two weeks after she arrived. Medics initially thought she was suffering an allergic reaction and one doctor also said it was anxiety and stress.

It was only when her condition deteriorated and she was rushed to hospital that she was diagnosed.

Ms Porter said: “The doctor said he thought it could be Guillain-Barré syndrome. He said it was potentially fatal because it freezes your diaphragm and he said I might need to go on a ventilator really soon.

“I remember feeling guilty because I knew I was going to have to call my parents and say I might be dead in a few hours.”

Ms Porter was joined in Australia by her parents, Joe and Sue, but was in constant pain.

However thanks to Ms Porter’s determination – and a lot of physiotherapy – she was able to regain her independence one tiny movement at a time.

Within three weeks she was able to move both her arms a few centimetres, and six weeks after she was paralysed she stood up for a few seconds with the help of three nurses.

In November Natasha was well enough to be flown back home.

By the New Year she was able to take short trips away from her wheelchair and by the end of January she went out dancing with her friends for the first time.

In March she began work as an admin assistant and now has plans to finish the round the world trip she began.

Medics will never know for sure what causes the disease.

Her blood tested positive for viruses carried by mos- quitoes – a common cause of the syndrome – but it can also be caused by any immunisation.

Ms Porter said: “I don’t want to waste any time anymore and I hope I have become a better person.

“I want to live as much as I can, spend as much time with my friends and family, just enjoying my life.

Guillain-Barré syndrome is a rare and serious condition which occurs when the body's immune system attacks the peripheral nervous system.