Woman's plea for help to pay for life-saving op

A WOMAN with a rare condition has been forced to borrow money to undergo further lifesaving surgery.

- KRISTY DAWSON

Melanie Hartshorn

Melanie Hartshorn suffers from Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), which causes her skull to dislocate from her neck.As a result, the 36-year-old, who lives in Cramlington, Northumberland, has spent most of her life confined to a bed. She previously raised nearly £100,000 so she could undergo a risky operation in Barcelona, Spain, to fuse her neck to her spine.

The surgery, which is not available on the NHS, took place in October 2022 and saved her life. Melanie began walking, she moved into her own bungalow and started training to become a teacher.

However, last year, her ribs began dislocating from her spine every time she breathed. She was told she needed to undergo another costly operation in Barcelona to fuse three or more ribs to her spine, otherwise they would become more unstable.

The more ribs she needed to fuse the more restricted her breathing would be. Melanie was trying to raise £60,000 to cover the cost of the major surgery but the condition was proving life threatening.