Woman who risks being internally decapitated desperate to raise £35,000 for surgery

A 26-year-old with a rare condition that means she can barely hold her head up and risks being internally decapitated is desperate to raise £35,000 for lifesaving surgery.

Experiencing terrifying seizures and fainting fits for as long as she can remember, Zoe Elliott, who lives near Salisbury, Wiltshire, was finally diagnosed with craniocervical instability in December, meaning the area where her skull and spine meet is unstable.

Unable to work and living in fear of her head detaching itself from her body, she has now launched a GoFundMe page, asking strangers to help raise cash to fund surgery to fuse her C1 vertebra to the base of her skull, strengthening the area, restoring a full range of movement and giving Zoe her life back.

Her situation is even more difficult as she was previously a carer for her mum Lisa, 61, who has metastatic breast cancer, which has spread to her bones.

"I want to help my mum more but I can't. It's like we've reversed roles and she's looking after me now," she said. "

"I really worry about what will happen if I don't get the surgery – even the phrase 'internal decapitation' scares me, as it sounds so horrible.

"I've been told it could only happen with a really strong impact, like being in a car accident, but it's still scary.

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