A mum-of-two battling a crippling medical condition has flown to the US for a life-saving op to stop her skull from crushing her NECK after raising £180,000.
Jessica Kill, 38, suffers from a painful side effect of connective tissue disorder Ehlers-Danlos syndrome which means the ligaments in her neck are weak.
Without the op, she would be left completely paralysed as the weight of her head puts increasing pressure on her brain stem.
To stop this happening, Jess needs complex neurosurgery to lift the weight, preventing her from losing feeling in her limbs.
She was given just three months to scrape together £180,000 for the specialist surgery only available in the USA, and amazingly succeeded.
Jess, of Swindon, Wilts., flew to New York last week, and was due to have the complex op yesterday.
Writing on her fundraising website, Jessica thanked the public who had got her to her goal.
She said: “It’s been a frantic few days since reaching the fundraising total and then travelling to the US.
“I arrived on Saturday feeling very tired and emotional but relieved. Tomorrow I am going to the hospital for all my pre-op testing ready for my first surgery on Wednesday.
“I’m so grateful to each and every one of you for giving me the opportunity to fight for an independent future with a quality of life I haven’t had for so long.
“It’s going to be a tough recovery, but each step will get me closer to phase three, which I call ‘getting back to life’.
“Many thousand thank yous, you wonderful humans. I’ll keep you posted on my progress.”
Jess, who must wear a plastic neck brace to ease pressure on her spine, said her symptoms worsen each day, leaving her less able to do things with sons Louis, 16 and eight-year-old Finlay.
Doctors recommend she undergoes the treatment this summer to prevent any possible brain damage because her condition is deteriorating so rapidly.
Jess and her family and friends turned to crowdfunding and fundraising to get her across the line and initially raised £124,000.
But in the final four weeks an incredible £56,000 was donated, with £25,000 raised from a charity ball organised by Jess’ old school friends.
Her final total stands at £180,160 from a staggering 3,579 donors.
