Northumberland woman 'desperate' for life-saving surgery

A young woman from Northumberland, who has to lie down flat all the time, says surgery in the United States is now her only option.

Melanie Hartshorn, who is 27, says she's running out of time to raise 150 thousand pounds for the operation.

It's a risky procedure, to fuse the base of her skull to her spine, to prevent her from suffering fatal brain damage.

Melanie suffers from a rare genetic condition - and that's left her completely bed-bound.

It's called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.

It's very rare - but means her joints dislocate and can't hold her body together.

A complication of EDS means her head and spine are unstable.

It causes pain and seizures.

She's hosting a fundraising ball on the 25th of February.