A woman who has spent the majority of her life lying down could die if she doesn't raise almost £78,000 in six weeks so she can undergo vital surgery.
Melanie Hartshorn suffers from a genetic condition called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) which causes her skull to dislocate from her neck and spine. The 32-year-old struggles to sit up and spends most of her time confined to her bed.
She is currently being kept alive by a surgical halo vest which she wears 24 hours a day. However it's only a short term solution and she needs to raise a total of £100,000 for a major operation which will fuse her neck to her spine.
If she manages to raise the funds, Melanie's surgery will take place on October 4 this year in Barcelona, Spain. As it stands she has raised £22,262 via her Go Fund Me page called 'Melanie's Mission to Live' and still needs another £77,738.
Melanie, who lives in Cramlington, Northumberland, said: "I'm getting really scared about it now. I'm really worried I won't get the money in, the halo won't last and I'll be too ill to get back to Spain. If I'm too ill, I won't be able to have the operation full stop.
"It's a really dangerous situation because the halo keeps me alive. I stop breathing without it and I have seizures non-stop. The halo isn't going to last. Usually people have a halo for six months to a year, they don't know anyone that has had it longer than a year.
"If I don't raise the money I won't be able to have the operation, it will have to be postponed. The trouble is I have got to be in hospital for six weeks and they can't do it over Christmas. I would have to wait until next year - I don't know how I'm going to be then."
Melanie has been travelling to Spain for surgery, which isn't available on the NHS, for several years to stabilise her spine. She had her neck and spine fused during a major operation in Barcelona in 2017.
She has been forced to wear the halo since May last year as four broken titanium screws in her vertebrae have caused the fusions to be unstable. She is desperately trying to raise money so she can undergo surgery to fuse her neck to her spine again.
Melanie said that this time the surgery is even more risky as it will have to be carried out through her throat as it's not possible to operate on her back. However she said the operation is the only way to save her life.
She said: "It's been an absolute nightmare, it's not been easy. It's devastating and it's really upsetting. I need the money for the surgery so I'm not in that situation and I need it to keep me alive.
"I feel this surgery will change my life. I wouldn't be in a halo anymore once my neck is fused and I wouldn't stop breathing. I'd be able to sit in my wheel chair and go out. I just need this bit fixed and everything should be fine."
Earlier this year, Melanie had to spend £7,000 on a trip to Barcelona so she could be fitted with a new halo. Her previous brace was broken for three months and the smallest of movements caused her to stop breathing, have seizures and suffer from nausea.
She said that the halo has already broken again and she is concerned about how long she will be able to wear it. She said: "I got covid, I was coughing a lot and it's broken again. It's not going to last very long. I'm in a lot of pain, it's really bad."
Family friend Diane Askew is organising a four-day fundraising event this weekend to raise money for Melanie's operation. The 'Bank Holiday Bonanza' will take place between Friday, August 26 and Monday, August 29 at The Bebside Inn in Bebside, Northumberland.
There will be a raffle on Friday and live music on Saturday and Sunday. A ''Family Fund Day', involving a climbing cave, a bake sale and a dog show, will take place on bank holiday Monday. Anyone is welcome to attend.
Diane, who lives in Blyth, Northumberland, said: "We need serious help and don’t know where to turn. Please, any token, no matter how small, is so much appreciated."
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