Woman to stay in Spain for Christmas after fifth operation

A woman recovering from a fifth operation for a rare brain-crushing condition has had her hopes of being home for Christmas dashed.

Melanie Hartshorn has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome which causes her skull to dislocate from her neck and spine.

The 33-year-old of Cramlington, Northumberland, flew to Barcelona in October for the life-saving procedure.

She had hoped to be back in the UK for Christmas but has been told she is not strong enough to travel.

Ms Hartshorn spent weeks in intensive care after being placed in an induced coma. She then suffered allergic reactions to tube feeds.

She has now been discharged but will spend Christmas in an apartment near the hospital with her mother Molly.

A sixth and final procedure is scheduled for the end of January but is dependent on her raising the funds for it.

For 18 months Ms Hartshorn wore a surgical halo vest to keep her alive but that has now been removed.

She said: "It's now a case of resting and building my strength in preparation for the last surgery.

"I'm fully bedbound in a back and neck brace to try to stabilise the thoracic joints where the broken screws are.

"It's very unstable and causes excruciating pain, paralysis on my legs, cramp in my legs and fingers and hands, and dangerous heart arrhythmias.

"It gives huge audible cracks where you can see my body jolt back into place and this is a huge concern as it risks damaging the successful surgery that's already been completed.

"It's vital that it is held still so the bone can fuse together successfully over the next year."

Ms Hartshorn had her fourth operation to fuse her neck and spine last year after raising £160,000.

But she now needs a further £43,000 for the final procedure which she said was her last "chance to live".

The surgery, which involved an operation through her throat was carried out by spine and neurosurgeon Dr Vicenç Gilete, is not available in the UK.

The final procedure will involve surgery through Ms Hartshorn's sternum.

While bedbound in Barcelona she has been organising raffles to raise money for her last procedure.

She said she felt "stressed and worried" about raising enough money "before more damage is done and my body weakens further".

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