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Law graduate's lifesaving surgery bid

June 9, 2016 11:49
Natasha Silverman has to wear a brace and use crutches to walk.

ByJosh Jackman, Josh Jackman

2 min read

A degenerative condition has left the 29-year-old law graduate in constant pain and in need of lifesaving brain surgery.

Her family has already raised more than GPB15,000 through an online fundraising campaign, but a further GPB50,000 is required to fund just the first in a series of neurological operations - which can only be carried out by specialists in the United States - to reverse the effects of the condition.

Ms Silverman, from Parsons Green in south-west London, suffers from Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS), a lifelong affliction which stops the body from producing effective connective tissue - the glue that holds together everything in the body, from muscles to organs.

Her condition is particularly severe, affecting her heart, spinal-cord, neck, bladder, breathing and vision. In "excruciating" pain, she rarely leaves the house and admits that it is "becoming very hard not to just give up".