Help me get to the Adaptive CrossFit Games!

Hello! I’m Melissa, an athlete with Ehlers Danlos and I have qualified for the Adaptive CrossFit Games for the first time, which are being held in Las Vegas! As exciting as it is, there are also a lot of huge costs associated with getting there - big entry fees, hotels, travel.

Ehlers Danlos (EDS) is a connective tissue disorder that can be very life limiting, there are many different types of EDS and I personally have hypermobility type - which effectively means all my connective tissue is like an over stretched elastic band…not ideal! Although it is a condition you are born with it takes a very long time to get a diagnosis and even then support is very limited. Personally I have been told by doctors that there’s nothing they can do to help so no point putting it on my record..! Getting a diagnosis mentally can be a relief as it explains years of pain and fatigue amongst other things, but physically there’s not many things that help - except being strong!

Having strong joints is one of the biggest things you can do to support EDS-H in order to live life as “normally” as possible and I want to show that although it can feel life limiting at times, it doesn’t have to stop you doing things like this!