Samantha Smith has just six weeks to raise money for life-saving neurosurgery before it’s too late

Scar tissue has formed and is pressing on her brainstem and due to the weakness of the ligaments in her neck, Sam is at high risk of internal decapitation

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Samantha Smith has just six weeks to raise £150,000 before it is too late for surgeons to carry out the life-saving neurosurgery she so desperately requires.

The 30-year-old’s brain and spinal cord are being crushed under the weight of her own skull as the ligaments in Samantha’s neck are too stretched and weakened to support her head in a condition known as Craniocervical Instability (CCI).

Samantha, from Smithy Bridge, was diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS) in December 2016, after ‘a lifetime of pain and eight years of tests, misdiagnoses and ill health’. 

EDS is a genetic condition that means connective tissue holding the body together is faulty and too weak, causing extreme widespread pain, daily dislocations, cardiac abnormalities and multiple other illnesses. It affects around one in 5,000 people worldwide.

CCI can arise in EDS sufferers due to a lack of connective tissue support at the craniocervical junction (between the skull and first two vertebrae of the spine).

Following a consultation in Barcelona, the brave single mother of two has rapidly deteriorated and has since been diagnosed with further complications, including unstable vertebrae which are easily dislocated.

Scar tissue has formed and is pressing on her brainstem and due to the weakness of the ligaments in her neck, Sam is at high risk of internal decapitation.

Initially, Sam had a time frame of four months to raise the funds for the life-saving surgery, but now has just six weeks to raise the money. The surgery has a success rate of 95 percent, yet there are no surgeons qualified in the UK to conduct the complex surgery that can keep her alive. If she does not receive this vital surgery, the condition will kill her after causing organ failure and paralysis.

Samantha explained: “It was quite a shock. I knew something was wrong because I’d been in hospital a lot more. Unfortunately my situation is a lot worse than we thought and I have less time to raise the funds due to the rate which I’m deteriorating. If I miss the July slot, they couldn’t do it at all.”

Sam now has to have surgery in Barcelona by the first week of July at the absolute latest, as waiting lists for the operation in America are just too long. If she misses this window, surgeons will not be able to operate and the 30-year-old will be left without any medical support.

To donate towards Samantha’s life-saving surgery, visit:

https://www.youcaring.com/samanthasmith-788861