Help Mel get her life back (Lyme disease & AAI)

Dear friends, 

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this. The last time I was raising money I swam 10km in open water to raise £1500 for the NSPCC, so it feels uncomfortable to ask for money for me, and without achieving something painful to achieve it! But I'm learning to ask for help .

As many of you know, I started to struggle with my health in May 2010; something flicked a switch off in me, following a couple of crashes, and I've never been the same since.  I kept pushing through but, in early 2013, I couldn't go on any more and had to give up the commercial flying career that I'd spent my life working towards, as well as my entry in to the display flying scene and many other sports and activities.

Last year I finally found one of the causes of my issues - chronic Lyme disease. A dangerous and multi-systemic set of infections that is notoriously hard to treat.  I have been trying to treat this naturally but it is a long and expensive road. Long-term antibiotics are more likely to make me worse than better at this stage, so a lot of research has led us to decide on a 3 week visit to a private clinic in Germany that specialises in chronic conditions like Lyme.  It is money that I never wanted to spend and it is not guaranteed in any way, but the longer I leave it the less likely it is to work. 
This is exacerbated by Atlanto-Axial Instability, which affects the flow of cerebrospinal fluid and my whole central nervous system, probably why this all kicked off following a car crash!

I attack most problems head-on and this will be no different! I will need to continue with treatment protocols following my treatment and, if it works, it could take at least a year to have effect, and it's all getting a bit scary! Accommodation, travel, ongoing treatment, osteopathy and other treatments to keep the blood flow in my neck are all a constant drain, and I have only been working part-time for the last 6 years.  My savings are nearly gone and people keep suggesting that I ask for help, so here it is!
As usual, I feel I need to do something, so I have signed up for the Poppy Run to raise money for the British Legion, and to support my friend Andy, who's running the London Marathon this year and also raising money for the British Legion.  I have sponsored him and I will also give an extra £50 from anything I raise, plus my entry fee in to the Poppy Run. I will walk the marathon distance of 26.2 miles within the next month, in the hope that I can be back to training to run it within a few years! I know it's not a big ask, but it is a big push for me at the moment and will need to be paced carefully. 

If anybody wants further information about Lyme or my journey, I hope to post some information about my treatment on My Facebook page .

If you have read this far then thank you! The support and understanding that some people have shown has been truly overwhelming and humbling.  I know that I look healthy and that this makes no sense! I struggle to understand it day to day, so am blown away by the friends and acquaintances who have been such a support. 

My husband, Lucky, has been an absolute rock throughout this. I don't know where I'd be without his unwavering support and his ability to always see the real me underneath. He has given me the strength to keep going.  We're using our honeymoon fund to pay for some of this, so I can't wait get back to it and earn enough to take him on the holiday he deserves, plus so much more! Please give him as much support as you can as it's probably harder for him than it is for me as he feels so helpless sometimes.  I hope that this gives me back my life so that I can give back to all of you and be the wife and friend that I want to be. 

Thanks, love & unicorn sparkles, 

Melons xxx