Pupils have raised more than £1,300 for a friend who is suffering from a rare condition which leaves her doubled over in pain.

Lucie Low, 13, has been in hospital since January after being diagnosed with a digestive disorder which is so unusual, doctors have been struggling to treat her.

Her mum Zoe, who lives in Rainham, has been fighting to get Lucie specialist treatment and this week she was finally admitted to King’s College Hospital in London.

On the day she was transferred from Medway hospital, her school, Chatham Grammar School for Girls, held a collection for Lucie which raised a staggering £1,364. The school has just over 700 pupils.

Head teacher Chris Probin said: “We are keen to support Lucie and have fundraising events planned for this term but we thought that given the urgency of the situation, we would start with a straightforward collection.

“We have collections for charity every Wednesday but this week we sent letters home and let them know it would be a special collection.

“We will usually raise £50 or £100 so this is significantly more. We were staggered by how much.

“I think it is a reflection of how popular Lucie is and of how people are feeling about Lucie.”

Lucie started suffering stomach pains in August last year and her weight plummeted. She had several trips to hospital but was told it was constipation.

She was eventually admitted to Great Ormond Street Hospital and diagnosed with superior mesenteric artery syndrome – when part of the small intestine is blocked because is it compressed between two arteries.

Lucie was transferred to Medway 10 days later but Ms Low said doctors there could only provide pain relief.

As the hospital struggled to find a specialist to treat her, Lucie’s desperate mum posted a video of her daughter online, showing her crying in pain.

As reported in Monday’s Messenger, Gillingham and Rainham MP Rehman Chishti arranged a meeting with hospital chief executive Phil Barnes and spoke about Lucie in parliament.

Hours later, Ms Low was told King’s had agreed to admit Lucie and she was finally transferred on Wednesday morning.

Ms Low said: “It feels right Lucie is here. They are going to carry out further tests and, more importantly, get her pain under control.”

Lucie’s friends set up a donation website to raise money for her to have private treatment if she needs it. In just a few days it raised almost £6,000.