Melanie Hartshorn

Northumberland woman Melanie Hartshorn needs urgent surgery to stop her ribs dislocating when she sings, laughs or coughs.

Transcript

00:00Melanie is on a mission to live, and she needs your help to ensure her mission is a success.

00:11Without the urgent help she needs, there is no second chance.

00:16Melanie was diagnosed with extremely rare conditions,

00:20Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, and a rare form of muscular dystrophy.

00:24Her skull, neck and spine were regularly dislocating, causing life-threatening seizures.

00:32Against all odds, she previously raised over £160,000 to have specialist cranio-cervical fusion.

00:40For a short time, Melanie had her life back, but unfortunately it wasn't for long.

00:46The fusion broke in two places, and the surgeon had no choice but to fuse the rest of her spine

00:51to protect and stabilise her body.

00:54Melanie has since been living in a surgical halo that is keeping her alive for 15 months,

01:00longer than anyone ever has before.

01:03The only chance she now has is to undergo a first-of-its-kind procedure by experts in Barcelona

01:10that has been carefully devised with advice from London, America and India to get her life back on track.

01:18Melanie is a fighter, but she can't finish her fight alone.

01:22She needs your help to be able to afford her one chance at life-saving surgery.

01:28Graduating from university whilst on a stretcher, helping children in schools after her first surgery,

01:34and being an auntie to her niece Katia, Melanie wants to live to help others.

01:40Her dream is to become a primary school teacher, and inspire future generations for years to come.

01:46Her dreams can become a reality with your help.

01:49Please, join the fight in supporting Melanie's mission to live.

01:54You can help by sharing her story, and by donating to her GoFundMe page.

02:01Okay, let's go.

02:25Okay, let's go.

02:31Okay.