Cramlington woman travels to Spain for life-saving surgery

A neurosurgeon in Barcelona has agreed to take on Melanie's case at a cost of £80,000. Credit: Newcastle University

  • Click the video above to watch as Melanie departs for Spain

A young woman from Northumberland, who has to lie down flat all the time, has flown to Spain for life-saving surgery.

Melanie Hartshorn, who is 27, needs an operation which will fuse the base of her skull to her spine, to prevent her from suffering fatal brain damage.

A neurosurgeon in Barcelona has agreed to take on Melanie's case at a cost of £80,000.

Melanie suffers from a rare genetic condition called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.

It means her joints dislocate and can't hold her body together. As a result, she is completely bed-bound as the risk of irreversible damage from even minor movements is very high.

The surgery is a risky procedure that will involve fusing the base of Mel's skull to her spine, to prevent irreversible fatal brain damage.