A WOMAN is hoping to raise £100,000 for an operation in a bid to save her own life.

Jemma Lewry, a 23-year-old from Holbury, suffers from chronic fatigue, neurological symptoms and severe pain from multiple conditions.

And now, she urgently needs to save for urgent life-saving neurosurgery treatment called Full Craniocervical Fusion skull to T1 and Skull Decompression, which is only available in Barcelona.

Since her condition began to deteriorate, Jemma has became dependent on a wheelchair and crutches while spending most of her life trying to sleep or laying on the sofa.

She suffers from Ehlers Danlos syndrome, Chiari craniocervical instability, atlantoaxial instability, sub axial instability, cervical medullary syndrome and brainstem compression.

But if Jemma does not raise the money in the next few months, her mother says she "will end up paralysed or could die".

The £100,000 will cover the cost of surgery, hospital fees, post op recovery and insurance and travel costs.

Jemma said: "I've suffered with these symptoms ever since I was ten. The most disabling thing is the fatigue. Even just brushing my teeth is hard as it takes up so much of my energy. My skull also slides forwards and backwards. You can actually feel it, and that instability means that my neck also dislocates when I turn my head left and right.

"People that have already had the operation have had greatly improved pain and fatigue levels and it would stop my brain stem from being fatally damaged. I know we will raise the money and I'm extremely grateful for what we have so far."

In a desperate bid to fund the operation, her family set up Hope4Jemma under UK charity Just4Children, which was named as housebuilding company Persimmon Homes' Community Champions charity winners.

As a result, they granted the Hope4Jemma charity with a £1,000 donation, which they give to charities and groups every month as part of their Community Champions scheme.

Her mother Jo Rolfe said: “The neurosurgeon is extremely concerned at how advanced and complex Jemma’s problems are and it’s heart breaking to watch our daughter rapidly deteriorating.

"If we don't raise the money urgently within the next few months, my daughter will end up paralysed or could die from brain stem damage. The operation she needs has helped several people from the UK, and others who have had the same surgery have seen amazing results and huge improvement in their symptoms. I would like to make a heartfelt thank you to Persimmon Homes South Coast for making an extremely generous donation to Hope4Jemma.”

Matt Paine, managing director at Persimmon Homes South Coast, said: “Our Community Champions fund gives us the opportunity to support worthy causes in our region, so we are honoured to be able to help Jemma and her family in this way.”

To donate, visit https://www.hope4jemma.org/.