Woman, 21, who needs legs amputated after they locked and bent backwards issues emotional plea
A young woman who needs both of her legs amputating due to a rare medical condition has issued an emotional plea ahead of her surgery.
When Megan Dixon was just 13 years old, she fell ill with whooping cough and glandular fever.
A year later, her legs stopped working, with the 21-year-old unable to walk ever since.
She has since been diagnosed with functional neurological disorder (FND), a condition which occurs when the brain struggles to send and receive signals properly; the cause of her legs bending upwards at a 45-degree angle, however, remains unknown.
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After lengthy hospital stays and temporarily being paralysed from the neck down, Megan is now fundraising for a new electric wheelchair which will allow her to become independently mobile.
Explaining why she needs to pay for a specialist wheelchair out of her own pocket, the Cambridgeshire native revealed that companies can only provide her with a basic model of the mobility aid.
But due to the severity of Megan's pain and the possibility that she may not be eligible for prosthetic legs, there is a possibility that she may become reliant on a wheelchair full-time.
At the moment, Megan is unable to perform daily tasks such as getting into bed or using the toilet, something which she hopes having surgery and access to a specialised wheelchair would help her with.
"If we are fortunate enough, an electric wheelchair would give me something I haven’t had since I was 13 — independence," she wrote on her GoFundMe.
"The ability to move freely without always relying on someone to push me would truly change my life.
"I just want to be normal, to have a normal life. To regain my independence fully," she continued.
"However, if I manage to get myself an electric wheelchair, I will be able to regain more independence than I ever thought I’d have again. Not having to rely on someone pushing me whenever I go will be immensely freeing for me."
At the moment, Megan is scheduled to have her amputation surgery in August, a process which has been a long time in the making.
"I'd seen six different surgeons and was turned away by five," she previously explained.
"When I finally found a surgeon to help me, it had been so long that the damage in my knees was irreversible."
Despite the pain and adversity she's faced, Megan says she is fighting for a future where she's more independent and urges others who are in a similar situation to do the same.
None of us should have to face something like this, but if it leads to a future where life is a little more bearable, a little less painful, and holds more independence," she added. "Then all of this will be worth it.
If you wish to donate to Megan's GoFundMe, you can do so here.
Brenna Cooper