Mum jets out on journey of hope for life-saving op
AMUM whose spine is being crushed by the weight of her skull is to fly to America next week where she is hoping to undergo life-saving surgery.
Samantha Smith has raised almost £150,000 to pay for the procedure after a shock diagnosis of Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS).
In an emotional Facebook post last month the 30-year-old told how her condition is declining rapidly and ‘requires surgery ASAP’.
The mum-of-two, from Smithy Bridge in Rochdale, is due to meet world-leading neurosurgeon Dr Fraser Henderson in Washington on Thursday.
Dr Henderson will carry out a number of tests and if a time slot can be found Samantha may be able to undergo the procedure, which has a 95 per cent success rate and is not available in the UK, during the trip.
But Samantha also has a back-up plan of undergoing a slightly different procedure in Barcelona next month.
She said: “Dr Henderson has confirmed I need the surgery. I will undergo a number of tests and then we will find out the cost of surgery and the date.
“There is a lot riding on Thursday’s meeting. I am nervous and apprehensive, but also really looking forward to having some clarity about the future.
“There are very, very few surgeons in the world who can do this procedure and Dr Henderson is my preferred option as it will hopefully leave me with more mobility at the end, which is very important to me.
“The travel will be tortuous, so I’m very, very hopeful he can fit me in while I’m out there.”
Samantha also thanked the hundreds of people who have helped her raise the cash in just nine weeks.
She said: “I feel really lucky and thankful that we have raised the £150,000 needed for the surgery.
“It has been an incredible response in just nine weeks and I want to say a massive thank you to everyone, far and wide, who has helped out.”
EDS is a genetic condition affects just one in 5,000 people in the UK and weakens the body’s connective tissues causing pain, dislocations and cardiac abnormalities.
Samantha, who worked as a psychotherapist, underwent years of tests and endured horrendous pain before eventually being diagnosed last year.
She had started to lose consciousness regularly, vomit blood, and was experiencing chest and head pain and weakness in her limbs.
In her case the condition is crushing her brain and spine as it has made the ligaments in her neck too weak to support her head.