Hi my name is Andrea and I am fundraising for me to keep helping you .

Hi everyone hope you are ok , staying safe and keeping well ❤️

I feel a bit cheeky in doing this , I don’t like asking for help .

However on this occasion I have to put my pride to one side and ask for your help please .

Those of you who know me, now how independent I am that I don’t like asking . To those of you that don’t know me , I have been teaching in the group exercise fitness industry for over 30 years . I have made lots of friends and helped people to reach their own fitness & wellbeing goals and I continue doing so .

They have supported my fundraising for various charity’s, especially during the covid lockdown.

I have recently done the Go Sober for October and raised over £500 for McMillan Nurses. All monies that are left after paying for surgery would be donated to MIND.

My mental health is not good. It had really deteriorated after my elderly father , for whom I was the sole carer, passed away in December 2023. I was prescribed antidepressant which I still take because of everything that is happening . I am waiting for an Ankle replacement on my left leg and knee replacement on my right leg.

I found my vocation the day I started teaching group exercise classes. The enjoyment I get from helping people improve their mobility,strength and their mental health does a lot to get me through.

I cannot go anywhere nor do anything without being in excruciating pain. It’s just bed, work, home to elevate my legs , work then bed again.

I want to continue to help people for as long as I can .

I broke my left leg years ago , I recovered after a major operation and continued on with my career. It lasted a long time but finally gave up on me in 2017. The ligaments no longer protect the ankle and so had an ankle reconstruction . That left me with nerve damage underneath my foot ( I have a constant pins and needles feeling all the time ) The ankle has now totally given up on me, it’s bone on bone so waiting for a ankle replacement .

In 2012 my ACL ligament snapped in my right knee, had a reconstruction and 2 more operations on that knee to correct the cartilage . At the beginning of 2024, the pain and swelling returned from the imbalance of my walking from all the pain coming from my left ankle and so the knee keeps popping out , which then have to manipulate in back into place before I am able to walk on it .

Following x rays , MRI scans and referral to a physio , it turns out

The ACL has ruptured again , I have a fracture . Knee is not straight and a piece of bone is floating around .

The only option left is to have a knee replacement but the surgeon said I’ll have to wait 12/18 months and I have to continue using crutches for my walking at the moment to help with the pain ( and lots of painkillers )

I have researched the option of going privately and in the U K it would cost £16.832. The cost of the surgery abroad (Lithuania ) is significantly cheaper , around £8.500.

Surgery in the UK is the preferred option for obvious reasons , yet at this stage , I need to think of my life going forward and look at all options .

I appreciate times are tough , we are in the middle of one of the worst cost of living crises we have seen for decades and I know things are tight for everyone .

I have never asked for money from anyone before and I am also looking to see if there is any help anywhere towards the cost .

All donations would be great fully received or even if you just have time to read my story .

Andrea ❤️