'I have six months to find £25k for surgery or my brain and spine will be crushed'

Jessica Riggs suffers from filum disease, which could eventually crush her brain and spine - she is desperate to raise funds for life-saving surgery before it is too late

A woman is facing a "fight against the clock" to raise £25,000 before a debilitating disease crushes her brain.

Jessica Riggs from Saltash, Cornwall was struck with a devastating condition that could also affect her spine and leave her paralysed. The 32-year-old began suffering daily headaches and backaches before her condition progressed to repeated spells of dizziness, fainting and pressure in her head.

She initially put her symptoms down to her busy lifestyle - before it became worse. The avid runner and hiker, who worked as a polar expedition guide, was eventually diagnosed with filum disease in June 2024. The condition, which affects the spine and nervous system, could leave her permanently paralysed if she doesn't raise enough funds for surgery in time.

Already Jessica has experienced the first phase of paralysis and says she is struggling to carry out daily tasks such as washing and tying her shoelaces. Speaking about the ordeal, the marine biologist said: "This is a lifelong and limiting disease. I already have the beginning stages of paralysis, with regular numbness and pins and needles in all my limbs, as well as my back. If I don't get this surgery in six months, my symptoms will develop further.

"Once there are signs of more progression, there is little specialists can do to alleviate my condition. I feel deflated, frustrated and unmotivated, as I've had to give up my dream career and my quality of life is now very low." Jessica noticed something wasn't quite right 10 years ago and sought out medical advice. She was initially diagnosed with Chiari malformation, where the brain bulges through the back of the skull.

However, in November 2023, while working in Antarctica, she quickly realised the extent of her condition due to worsening symptoms. As she claims filum disease isn't yet recognised in the UK, she had to go overseas to a private clinic in Barcelona for an official diagnosis. The condition itself isn't rare, but in most cases, it's noted straight after birth since it forms in the womb. As Jessica's symptoms didn't prevail until much later in life, her case is now severe - and as a result, she claims there is no treatment available for her in the UK.

While the private clinic offers the surgery needed, it will cost around £25,000. She said: "I was relieved to find clarity and answers, but I am frustrated to find out I was born with this condition. If I was diagnosed and treated in childhood, my prognosis of eradicating the symptoms would have been much higher. In most cases, people born with this remain stable throughout their lives - but my symptoms have progressively gotten worse, especially in the last 12 months.

"Doctors kept saying I was an interesting case, but they didn't know how to treat me. I'm grateful to have found a treatment, but it's making me stressed that it comes with financial strain. It's not just the cost of treatment, but the loss of earnings during the long recovery process, too." The surgery involves going into the spinal cord, cutting the filum terminal - a type of fibrous tissue - to release pressure and then reattach this to the base of the spine, giving flexibility.

It's hoped that if all goes well, she will be able to return to work within a year. For now, though, she has preemptively booked herself in for the invasive operation on December 10. She added: "If I'm not able to transfer funds for my surgery a week before, then it'll have to be postponed. Without it, I wouldn't be able to be active and it'll limit my ability to be independent physically and financially. I still try to run a couple of times a week, but it takes me days to recover now. Currently, I'm dealing with insomnia, blurred vision, and urine infections, as well as a range of other debilitating symptoms. It's a fight against the clock to save my life."

She continued: "My case is now severe and I hope my story raises awareness for this disease. It's something that is often misdiagnosed, especially in adults, until it's too late. If you think something is wrong, always get a second opinion and use online screening tools wherever possible. I'm remaining hopeful that while I won't get my old life back, that I'll still be able to have a future."

To donate to a fundraiser for Jessica visit here.