A mum is appealing for help in raising £350,000 in just seven weeks to help pay for life saving surgery.

Leah Boxall, a 39-year-old mum from Fareham has Ehlers Danlos Syndrome which is a complex condition that causes very flexible joints and stretchy and fragile skin that requires specialist care.

At the moment, Leah has rods in her back to hold her spine up, but these are not connected in places and now her spine is collapsing forwards.

A surgeon in the UK tried to help but unfortunately the surgery is regarded as failed because multiple screws are detached from the rods that secure the spine.

The condition is pulling her spinal cord and her brainstem is being squashed, which is now damaging the rest of her spine and she risks burst discs.

If one rod breaks or her neck bones do then major blood vessels could get crushed and she could have a heart attack, stroke or die.

Surgeons in the UK do not have the expertise to perform the operation needed as they deal primarily with trauma, leaving Leah needing treatment from a world renowned Neurosurgeon in New York, Dr Paolo Bolognese.

With over 20 years experience in complex revision surgeries, Dr Bolognese is now Leah's only hope who now has only seven weeks to get the life saving treatment.

She said: "I’m so scared to even go to my appointments in the car now because anything could happen, my body is so fragile.

"At the same time it’s important not to be in bed permanently because your muscles waste. The whole situation is terrifying.

"“I am the provider for our family and I need to get better to get back to work. I’ve already had to cancel the course that was set to get me into University.

"I’ve wanted to do a medical degree for years so that I can help others in a vulnerable position”

Leah, who has a 17-year-old daughter has now set up a GoFundMe page to help her raise the £350,000 needed to get to New York and pay for the treatment.

The money will help pay for hospital fees, multiple surgeons fees, aneasthetist fees, intra operative neurological and nerve monitoring for the duration of the surgeries, pre op tests, post op test, therapies and specialist scans, accommodation and insurances.

Lead will need three surgeries in New York, the longest of which will last 24 hours.

The GoFundMe page that has been set up can be found here.