'I was a fitness-loving bodybuilder who lost 16st - now I'm bedbound after being internally decapitated'
25.11.2023 - 13:53
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
A bodybuilder who lost 16st has been left bedbound by a rare condition which is seeing her "internally decapitated".
Fitness fanatic Melody Wakelin loved nothing more than going to the gym and competing in bodybuilding competitions.
But her life was turned upside down when she was hit by a rare condition out of nowhere - one that is seeing her be "internally decapitated".
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The 41-year-old was diagnosed with atlantoaxial instability, a condition that affects the bones in the upper spine or neck under the skull, after first falling ill in 2017. The condition means her brain is sinking into her spinal canal and her skull is sliding down onto her neck.
Even a slight bump on the head or sudden neck movement could "completely crush" her brain stem and in extreme cases lead to death.
She can now barely walk and says she feels ''like a piece of furniture'' rather than a human.
Melody, a former personal trainer and self-employed barber, from Ashford, Kent, said: “I went from being a bodybuilding to be bedbound. I can't walk, and I struggle to stand and even sit up now.
"I could be internally decapitated if I bump my head or move my head too suddenly - it's terrifying.
"I've deteriorated to the point where I need a wheelchair to get about and I've lost all independence. I’m basically a piece of furniture and can’t move.
"I'm terrified I don't get the surgery, it will get worse, and I'll be left paralysed or die."
It all began when the mum first started experiencing symptoms including tremors, muscle spasms, vision problems and difficulty standing.
Melody went to countless