Member Article

South Tyneside girl receives money in aid of life-changing surgery

A girl from East Boldon who has suffered with health problems since the age of 12 has been gifted £1,000 towards a life-changing operation.

The donation was made by Persimmon Homes North East through its Community Champions scheme. The scheme is a national programme to help fund local good causes.

Ellie Gray, 18, was diagnosed with Chiari malformation and syringomyelia at the age of 12. She underwent major neurosurgery to prevent the deterioration of these conditions, which unfortunately triggered an avalanche of other symptoms.

Following the surgery, numerous hospital admissions were necessary for the young woman. The doctors treating Ellie were baffled as she developed further illnesses resulting in constant head pain, dizziness, vomiting and nausea.

Ellie has now been diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, which causes the joints to dislocate. The condition can lead to Cranio-Cervical Instability, where the skull is unstable in relation to the neck

Ellie’s mum, Janine also suffers from EDS and now both mother and daughter are raising money to undergo specialist surgery in Barcelona to relieve the symptoms, hopefully operating on Ellie in September.

The disease is identical to that suffered by Cramlington’s Melanie Hartshorn who was also supported by Persimmon Homes throughout her fundraising appeal. Melanie recently made the headlines after undergoing surgery in Spain, allowing her to sit up for the first time in years.

Janine said: “We can’t thank Persimmon Homes enough for this donation as it takes us one step closer to raising the £85,000 we so desperately need.

“This will be absolutely life-changing. Doctors are confident our quality of life will be much better as a result of the surgery and we are optimistic about the future.”

Debbie Zaben, sales and marketing director for Persimmon Homes North East, said: “We are so pleased to support Ellie’s Fusion as this brave young girl has been through so much.

“To discover that one member of the family has been diagnosed with EDS is scary enough, but we can’t imagine what the family were going through when both mother and daughter were diagnosed.

“I hope that our donation helps raise awareness and goes someway to help Ellie and her mum.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Stuart .