A 17-year-old has thanked strangers who have donated £56,000 ($75,100) and will enable her to fly to Spain for life saving surgery.
In 2020, Allesha Barnfield from Highfield, South Yorkshire, was diagnosed with Chiari Malformation and discovered that the surgery was not available on the NHS.
Allesha was hoping to raise enough money to pay for the operation herself after saying she felt like a 'walking death sentence' and wanted the brain condition to be prevented from internally 'decapitating' her.
The condition she lives with causes ligaments in the spine to be tense and tighter than usual. The brain tissue of its victims pulled into their spinal cord and can eventually lead to paralysis.
The former law student was attempting to raise £30,000 ($40,000) to fly to Spain and have the surgery - now she's got everything booked.
Speaking to the Mirror, she said: "The surgery is booked, all I need to book now is my flights and work out who is going to come with me.
"I’m literally so happy it’s unreal, I can’t believe it.
“ don't know where I would be without all these amazing people who have donated and the help I have had to raise awareness.
"Thousands of people have donated, some of them I’ve never met.
“I rang my sister crying when we hit £30,000. I’ve had to take the last few days just to process it.
“I never thought I would even manage to raise the money I needed, never mind do it in a few days.”
The operation is booked at the Filum System clinic in Barcelona on 15 February. She will be supported there by her 18-year-old boyfriend, Kieran.
After the surgery, she is hoping to be home and feeling much better to celebrate her 18th birthday in April.
She went on to tell the Mirror: "Hopefully I will be back up and better in time for my 18th birthday. It’s the best birthday present I could ever ask for.
"I want to go back and get ready for university and start studying law.
"The next step is having the surgery and then taking the time to recover but I want to raise as much awareness as I can about Chiari Malformation.
Even though I’m terrified I’m also so excited and feel like I have a new lease of life back.
“Before this I just wanted to give up because I thought my life was over. But now I have a chance to start again.”
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