Appeal raises £116k for woman's spinal surgery in Spain

Jessica Diamond needs help to get dressed and cannot brush her hair or teeth

A woman who cannot lift her head can "look forward to the future" after an urgent appeal raised more than £100,000 for surgery in Spain.

Jessica Diamond, 23, from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, spends much of her time lying down in a darkened room.

Due to spinal conditions, her neck cannot support the weight of her own head resulting in severe pain, headaches, blurred vision and tinnitus.

Miss Diamond said she was "like an overgrown version of a baby".

She has two conditions of the spine called craniocervical instability and atlanto-axial instability, which cause brain stem compression and dislocation of joints.

The surgery in Barcelona will fuse her head to her neck in the correct position

The conditions are caused by Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a connective tissue disorder causing ligament laxity, and the neuro-immune disease Myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME).

Once a competitive cheerleader, now she needs help getting dressed and cannot brush her hair or teeth.

Miss Diamond said: "My neck is not supporting my head, like a little baby cannot support their head properly, I'm like an overgrown version.

"I haven't read a book in months. I can't write and that's really difficult for me to live with.

"You might expect it of someone who is on their deathbed but not in someone who is 23."

Now a fundraising campaign called Jessica's Fight For Life has raised the £116,000 for cranio-cervical fusion surgery in Barcelona, which is not available in the UK, once coronavirus rates make it safe to travel.

Miss Diamond's mum Jo Harvey said they were "immensely grateful and humbled" by the help of "some amazing people"

The surgery will fuse her head to her neck in the correct position.

Miss Diamond, who planned to go to Cambridge University before she had to abandon her A-levels, said: "This won't be a cure, it gives me a chance of improvement after 10 years of decline, and hope that one day I'll have a better quality of life.

"I now look forward to the future rather than dreading what comes next."

Her mum Jo Harvey said the fundraising was continuing for additional costs but they were "immensely grateful and humbled".

"Some amazing people from the local community and much further afield ran their own fundraisers to contribute and we are so thankful for their kindness," she said.

"We've reached the main milestone and this gives us a sense of hope and relief."