Manchester mum Diana Olijar launches new fund-raising bid for surgery on her spinal cord

A Manchester mum who underwent potentially life-saving surgery to protect her spine and brainstem is fund-raising once more after being told she needs to go into the operating theatre again.

Diana Olijar ran a major fund-raising campaign last year after she was left largely bedbound with a rare condition that could have caused an internal decapitation.

She went into hospital in Leeds in February and had a major operating which she has been warned could take her up to two years to recover fully from.

Now, though, she has been forced to try to start raising £100,000 after being told she needs a second operation on her spinal cord.

What has happened to Diana Olijar?

Diana’s health nightmare began after she was left with serious spine and neck injuries following an incident in 2012.

The former flight attendant, who lives in Fallowfield, began to experience extreme tiredness, memory loss and widespread pain after initially recovering from the incident.

Eventually she was diagnosed with both Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), which is a type of dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system, and Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS), a multi-systemic condition which affects the skin, tendons, ligaments, blood vessels, internal organs and bones.

That put her at risk of internal decapitation, which is the ligamentous separation of the spinal column from the skull base.

Following a desperate bid for help from the public Diana was able to go into hospital privately in Leeds in February and have a craniocervical fixation, which is an operation on the bones where the skull connects to the spine.

This has saved her spine and brainstem from suffering damage which could well have proved irreversible.

However, it is now clear that she will need to go back into hospital and have surgery on her spinal cord as well.

She has therefore set up a fund-raising page online and has set a target of £100,000. This will be needed to cover the £24,000 cost of the spinal cord operation as well as things like supplements and medication and special tests and scans.

In addition, she is looking at aggressive stem cell treatment for her joints which will be several thousand pounds for each of the rounds of treatment she will need.

Why is Diana having more surgery?

Diana said the surgery to stabilise her spine went well, but it has become clear as she has begun the recovery process that she needs surgery to untether her spinal cord.

She described her continuing health battle and her hope that she will be able to regain more of her health to enable her to do more for her daughter.

Diana said: “I must now continue to fund-raise for my own life and for my child to have the mum she desperately needs and deserves. I am in constant pain and struggle with POTS symptoms and neurological issues affecting my cognitive function and mobility.

“I also continue to struggle with chronic fatigue and dislocating and subluxing joints. The problem with my spinal cord has also got worse since the first surgery.

“It’s very scary because it’s very expensive, but I have hope this can be done.

“I’m hoping it will help me to walk and do more exercises. Currently I’m very restricted and it’s making my recovery from the first surgery more difficult.

“I believe I can regain a normal quality of life and the ability to provide for my family. As of now, I rely on a wheelchair and struggle on a daily basis.”

What has Diana said about asking for public support?

Diana spoke of her gratitude at the public’s support for her first round of fund-raising, saying she has only been able to get this far without their help.

She is now desperately hoping for the same generosity from Greater Manchester residents second time round.

Diana said: “I’m just relying on people’s help. I have received so much help already and the first surgery was only possible because people donated and they wanted to help me.

“I really appreciate it. I am full of gratitude to everyone who donated towards my treatment, shared the fund-raiser link online or supported me throughout this rollercoaster.

“It’s scary for me to put up the second fund-raiser because it’s a huge amount. It’s going to be a long journey. I know a lot of treatment is needed and it’s hard.”