More agony as mum has a second lifesaving op
AMUM battling a rare condition which means her spine is being crushed by her own skull has undergone a second, unexpected bout of life-saving surgery.
Samantha Smith is recovering in hospital in Washington, USA, after the surgery on her neck and spinal cord.
The mum-of-two, from Smithy Bridge, raised almost £150,000 to pay for the initial operation after a shock diagnosis of Ehlers Danlos syndrome (EDS).
But complications which arose following the surgery meant Samantha, 30, was forced to undergo a second gruelling operation. And it also means her fundraising appeal has been re-launched in a bid to raise the extra £50,000 needed for her ongoing treatment.
In a video update posted on the Facebook page Save Samantha before she went under the knife Samantha said: “I am struggling. Following on from (the last operation) I felt that I was still unstable in my neck area and just as we were preparing to go home I had some final scans which confirmed that.
“And now I am due to go back into hospital to have that fixed.
“So I generally get about 10 minutes of relief before the pain sets in again.
“I still haven’t comprehended what I have been through so far and I have to go through it all over again and it feels emotionally like I’m back at square one.”
And in an update following the surgery Samantha’s dad wrote: “Surgery was 3 1/2 hrs long. Dr Henderson spoke to us after and stated all went well. She was in quite a lot of pain but was quite responsive. He has also said that her occipital nerve was crushed and he has had to remove it, this could explain why she had been in so much pain.
“Having since spoken to Sam she definitely seems more positive about the future, still in tremendous pain and suffering from muscle spasms but says although early days it is different this time around.
“Here is hoping for a speedy recovery.”
EDS is a genetic condition that 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 terrible pain before being diagnosed last year.
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. Hundreds of people have donated to help Samantha fund the op.
A number of fundraising events are planned for the coming weeks.
On Saturday, September 2, there will be a Save Samantha charity stall at Wardle village fair and from 1pm to 7pm on Sunday, September 24, there will be a fun day at Wellfield Working Mens Club.
For details on how to donate visit the Save Samantha page on Facebook.