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“Can they even get an appointment with their GP? How long have they been waiting for a scan? Are they stuck in a hospital corridor – rather than a ward – as they scream with pain?”<\/p>\n
She accused the previous Conservative government of having brought the NHS “to its knees”.<\/p>\n
She promised the Lib Dems would work with the Labour government and addressing the health secretary directly said: “Wes [Streeting], if you are listening – take up our ideas or put your own forward.<\/p>\n
“If we don’t see the right level of ambition or urgency, we will hold your feet to the fire.<\/p>\n
“We Lib Dems must continue to campaign to save our NHS and care like our lives depend on it. Because I know, and we know, that so many people\u2019s lives really do.”<\/p>\n
Recounting her own experience, Cooper told the conference in Brighton that 12 years ago she had been rushed to hospital.<\/p>\n
“My weight had dropped to around seven stone. My eyesight was failing. My heart rate had plummeted. And my arms were black and blue. I was fed only through a feeding tube.”<\/p>\n
She said the NHS had not only saved her life but “gave me life back” adding: “Thanks to them, I got my strength back. Put on some weight. And decided to embrace my new life.”<\/p>\n
Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are forms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which cause the immune system to go into overdrive and attack healthy tissue in the gut.<\/p>\n
The conditions, which affect around half a million people in the UK, are life long and there is no known cure. Common symptoms of Crohn’s disease include diarrhoea, stomach aches and blood in your poo.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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<\/picture><\/span>Getty Images<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n