Help Meli Get Vital Surgery

Hello, lovely people!

My name is Melissa and I have a degenerative genetic condition called Lipoedema. There is not much research on the disease, but here is what it means for those of us who have it:

- Misshapen and disproportionately large arms and legs (also sometimes abdomen), worsening over time.
- Body becoming more disfigured over time, eventually hardening and crushing the lympathic system.
- Constant pain and sensitivity, usually in arms and legs, eventually spreading to the rest of the body.
- Issues with connective tissue, leading to muscular and skeletal problems, hypermobility (dangerously flexible), arthritis, hernias, muscle tearing, heart problems and other complications.
- Auto-immune conditions.
- Increasingly limited mobility.
- Hormonal issues that can lead to infertility and other complications.
- Uncontrollable weight gain that cannot ever be reversed by diet or exercise due to the nature of the tissue the disease produces and deposits around the body.
- Bruising very easily and not healing, often leading to additional discoloured lumps where the original injury was.

That said, there is a cure to this awful condition. It is a highly specialised form of liposuction that involves removing all diseased fat, tissues and fibres from the affected areas, thus restoring mobility and removing the disease entirely and ensuring it does not return. Regular liposuction cannot be performed on those with lipoedema, as it leads to immense disfigurement and can be fatal. That is why this very specialised type of liposuction is used.

Sadly, these procedures are not available on the NHS and the cost of the surgeries is prohibitive; and no insurance carrier will cover it as the disease counts as a "pre-existing condition."

To be free of this awful disorder, I need to have at least five operations, the total cost of which will be tens of thousands of pounds. It is a lot and it is terrifying to think I may not get the surgeries I need. I am not seeking the full amount because it seems so ludicrous, but I assure you that even the smallest donation will make a huge difference.

Each procedure involves the following:
- Consultant surgeon, manual lymphatic drainage before surgery, anaesthetist and hospital fee.
- Follow-up consultations with the surgeon after operations.
- Appointments with Lymphoedema/Lipoedema nurse specialist.
- Surgical garments, medications, dressings, etc.

When I first read how much it would cost, I admit that I felt hopeless and thought I would have to slowly feel and watch my body deteriorate; but I refuse to give up hope of being rid of this terrible disease, which is why I am turning to you. I am hoping that with your kindness and generosity, I am able to raise the money I need in order to be cured. I will of course update you on any and all progress so that you can see the amazing changes your kindness brings about.

I am currently training to become a teacher, and I hope to serve my community in good health for many years to come. This is a big part of that.

All that said: l always wondered, from the youngest age, what was wrong with my body that it was so much larger and out of proportion than everyone else's, and why I physically hurt all the time. I struggled with why I wasn't losing weight even though I did everything I could to change my body, eventually resorting to starving myself. The reason my body kept getting larger and more misshapen is lipoedema. Most people who have it - almost exclusively women (men are usually just carriers of the gene) - don't realise what it is and blame themselves for being "overweight", so as well as raising money for my surgeries, I would also like to raise awareness of this disease and hopefully get some more research done on it.

So please, even if you cannot donate, share this page so that others can be made aware of this condition, and hopefully one day soon, it can be eradicated.

Thank-you, all.