Mom in race against time to raise $470k for treatment after freak fan accident

By Bradley Stokes via SWNS

A mom-of-one is in a race against time to raise $470,000 for life-saving treatment after a freak ceiling fan accident left her at risk of being "internally decapitated."

Rachel Pighills, 35, is trying to raise enough funds for pioneering surgery in America after she was left with a rare condition that could kill her at any moment.

She had been moving into a new house when she struck her head on a ceiling fan while she stood on a bed, leaving her with horrific injuries in August 2018.

Rachel was left with atlantoaxial instability and basilar invagination - which means her brain is sinking into her spinal canal and her skull is sliding down onto her neck.

It means she can no longer turn her head the wrong way as each time she does her spine partially dislocates increasing her risk of paralysis or death.

Husband Guy, 41, says her condition is “deteriorating day-by-day" as the family desperately continues to raise the funds which could potentially save her life.

Guy, of Pershore, England, said: "It has been soul-destroying to see her deteriorate. Her breathing is horrendous - she is having to force herself to breathe at the moment.

"Because of the brain stem compression, the signals are all incorrect. The brain stem subconsciously controls everything.

"Her heart rate can go from 60 to 140 in the click of a finger. The signals are getting confused.

"There is no quality of life now, she is just gasping for breath. She ideally needs non-invasive therapy for her breathing but it is complicated.

"She is suffering from central apnoea during the day too - sometimes she just stops breathing for a moment.

"She is constant agony, it is relentless. I genuinely can't remember her having a good day since she had her first surgery.

"It has left me feeling heartbroken and helpless. The surgeries are high risk, but without them Rachel will die."

After receiving over $60,000 in donations from well-wishers, the family are looking at different options to help save Rachel’s life, but are still short of their $470,000 target.

One option for the family is a complex operation in New York by Dr. Paolo Bolognese - the only surgeon in the world prepared to do the procedure.

Guy said that even though the family is continuing to explore their options, traveling abroad could be fraught with difficulty.

Guy, a quality inspector, added: "We are still fundraising. We are doing extremely well. There is still a long way to go, however.

"We have raised over £40,000 ($53,700) which is fantastic but because the medical procedure is in New York, we will need to get an Air Ambulance to get there.

"That trip to New York isn't without its difficulties: the changes in the air pressure and altitude, and she may need oxygen.

“It could affect her in a dangerous way. We will need medical supervision throughout.

"With that, there is no guarantee that Rachel will survive the surgery - but then again, she might not survive without the surgery.

"The options are basically you risk having surgery or you risk not having it. The surgery could leave her paralyzed or worse, death.

"We are not fooling ourselves that this will be the fairy tale ending. We have to prepare ourselves for the worst in surgery, if we get there.

"We are continuing discussions with Dr. Paolo Bolognese at the moment. We've looked at India too but we haven't fully pursued that yet.

"We are not ruling anything out. We don't think we will be able to get treatment in this country but that has not stopped us from searching.

"It is a race against time now, I don't like to think about it but the longer she is like this, without treatment, the worse she is going to get - she will die.

"There are so many complex aspects to this and we don't know what the final straw will be. No doctor can tell us a deadline.”

In January last year, Rachel underwent Occipital Spinal Fusion surgery in the UK which was hoped would improve her quality of life.

Guy added: “Her skull was fixed to her spine with rods and screws, and a piece of bone from her skull and spine was removed to create more room for her brain.

“The surgeon was new to this procedure and thought that this would relieve the compression from her brainstem.

“Sadly, this has not been the case, and we eventually learned that Rachel’s surgery had failed.”

Doctors said her neck can no longer support the weight of her head and one wrong move could cause total dislocation or "internal decapitation."

Three-and-a-half years on from the freak accident Guy said the family is trying to stay positive for Rachel.

He said: “It is difficult for the family, but we are trying to stay positive for her. Our daughter is dealing with it well.

"I find it really hard sometimes; I try and pretend it is not happening. I try and block it out but you have to do all you can to help.”

Speaking previously, Rachel said: “I live in constant fear of paralysis and death. It's hard to describe that feeling.

"I’m a determined person and I have to try and do what I can. I know I can’t give up."

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