After 18 years of living with debilitating jaw pain, countless treatments and procedures, Saffron has reached the point where she needs both jaw joints replaced with custom-made titanium prosthetics.

Saffron also lives with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS), a genetic connective tissue disorder that affects the body's joints and supporting tissues. This adds another layer of complexity to her condition and makes finding the right specialist care particularly important.

The estimated wait for surgery on the NHS is around two years, and given how severely her condition is affecting her everyday life and mental health, that's simply too long.

Thankfully, she already has an experienced specialist surgeon who knows her, understands her complex medical history, including her Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, and has treated her previously. He is willing to help her take this next step towards surgery, which gives us real hope that there may finally be a way forward.

We're hoping to raise approximately £40,000 towards the cost of her surgery, although the final amount is still being confirmed.

Saffron has been incredibly reluctant to ask for financial help. The last thing she wants is for friends, family or anyone else to feel pressured into donating or parting with their hard-earned money. But after watching her struggle for so many years, I feel it's time to ask for help on her behalf.

There is absolutely no expectation to donate. Even sharing this fundraiser would mean so much to us and could help Saffron get closer to the surgery she desperately needs.

After 18 years of pain, she deserves the chance to eat, smile, laugh and enjoy life again without everything revolving around her jaw.

Jessica Robbins

Saffron's little sister.