Woman who became wheelchair-bound after borrowing this common beauty item takes her first steps.

UPDATE: When 27-year-old Jo Gilchrist contracted MRSA, an anti-biotic resistant form of golden staph after borrowing a friend’s makeup brush, she was left paralysed from the waist and wheelchair-bound as a T1 paraplegic.

Doctors told her she would never walk again, never again have control of her bowel or bladder and no longer be able to chase her 3-year-old son Tommy around the yard.

Against all odds, Gilchrist has recently taken her first few steps, walking with crutches as an aid.

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Unfortunately that doesn’t solve the problem.

Still looking at life spent restricted to a wheelchair, the young mum has been put on a waiting list for a home that is wheelchair accessible as well as facing on-going rehabilitation and medical costs for the rest of her life, not to mention caring for her son.

Friends and family are currently trying to raise around $40,000 to buy Gilchrist a van big enough to fit an electric wheelchair and car seat, so that when she leaves hospital she doesn't have to get a taxi to and from appointments, which could cost her up to $200 a day.

At the moment, her medical living expenses are reportedly adding up to close to $950 a week, not including the cost of food or travel.

If you'd like to contribute, find more information or donate here.

Previously The Glow reported:

A 27-year-old woman from Queensland has been left wheelchair-bound after she used her friend's makeup brush to cover a pimple on her face.

Jo Gilchrist contracted an antibiotic-resistant strain of MRSA, a form of golden staph, which spread through her body and infected her spine, rendering her without feeling from the waist down.

At the time Gilchrist borrowed the makeup brush (something we've all done countless times) her friend did have a staph infection on her face but neither woman considered this to be a problem, given how common the bacteria is.

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However, in February of this year, Ms Gilchrist was airlifted to Brisbane hospital from her hometown of Warwick for emergency surgery after complaining of severe pain and numbness in her extremities and back.

"It started as a little ache in my back and I thought it was my bad posture, but it kept getting worse and worse," she told Daily Mail.  "I was in incredible pain and nothing would work. I honestly thought I was going to die - the pain was worse than childbirth."

It took doctors a while to figure out exactly what was wrong with the otherwise healthy mother of one, and her condition continued to deteriorate. (Post continues after gallery.)

Once a diagnosis of MRSA was made, doctors began treating her with strong antibiotics in an attempt to try and rid her body of the infection but significant damage had already been done. The infection had spread through her spine and resulted in her permanantly losing all feeling from the waist done as well as all bladder and bowel control. Doctors have told Gilchrist that while she may have regained feeling in her upper body, she will spend the rest of her life confined to a wheelchair.

"They told me at my bedside that I'd never walk again and I just felt numb and I had tears rolling down my cheeks," she said.

"But I'm fighting this with all I've got and I'm starting to learn to walk again. Two weeks ago they said I might be able to walk for an hour or two a day – like grocery shopping, washing up and hanging the washing out. I'm happy with that. I honestly didn't even expect that. I was so lucky it went to my spine... if it went to my brain I would have died and if it went to my limbs they would have been amputated.'

Related: Don’t share your makeup. Seriously. 

Staph bacteria is found on the skin or in the nose of almost one third of healthy people. While normally harmless, it can occasionally cause serious complications should people contract a drug resistant strain of the bacteria. Drug resistant strains are known as Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MSRA) and are spread from person to person through direct contact or by using infected personal items such as cosmetics or towels.

Gilchrist is expected to remain in hospital for treatment for at least another three months. During this time she is working on her rehabilitation, receiving high doses of antibiotics and is working on the skills needed to raise her two year old son.

Bacteria can be found in makeup which is why you should never share it. You should also know that your makeup has an expiry date.

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 When was the last time you cleaned out your cosmetics?