Help Melissa
Live Again !
Her neck can no longer hold her head.
Melissa (42, from Ghent) went from being a lively, independent woman
to someone who now spends nearly all day in bed (23 hours out of 24). Her life has become a medical nightmare.
Melissa suffers from Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), a rare connective tissue disorder. Her spine has become more fragile as a result, and due to an accident, dangerously unstable.
The increasing pressure on her brainstem and other vital areas is putting her life more and more at risk.
Her neck can no longer hold her head.
Help Melissa
Live Again !
Melissa (42, from Ghent) changed from a sprightly, independent woman to someone who spends most of the day in bed. Her life has become a medical nightmare.
Melissa suffers from Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), a rare connective tissue disorder. Because of this her spine has become unstable.
The increasing pressure on her brainstem and other vital areas is putting her life more and more at risk.
A personal message from Melissa
In the photos and in her message, Melissa may seem stronger than she is. With a touch of makeup and a gentle smile, she holds on to her pride — refusing to be defined by her illness. What you don’t see is that she spends over 23 hours a day lying flat in bed, exhausted by pain and a body that keeps failing her. Behind that little smile lies a daily battle that she continues to fight with courage and dignity. Your support can give her the strength and the chance to keep fighting for the surgery that could give her life back.
Extensive skull base and neck surgery
Only Your Help Can Save Melissa !
Extensive skull base and neck surgery
Only Your Help Can Save Melissa !
Her condition
After neck injuries from an accident, she developed a severe complication: CCI-AAI (Cranio-Cervical Instability and Atlanto-Axial Instability). In other words: Melissa’s neck can no longer support her head. The damaged ligaments are no longer keeping the neck vertebrae in place.
Together with her head, those unstable neck vertebrae press on her brainstem, vagus nerve, vital nerves and nerve pathways, spinal cord, and blood vessels.
What this means
The brainstem is the control center of our body; it regulates breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, temperature, movement, and so much more.
When Melissa tries to sit upright or even just move her head (even while lying down), the pressure on all those vital areas increases. The control of her body becomes disrupted and goes haywire, leading to muscle contractions and persistent full-body spasms, loss of strength and paralysis-like symptoms, motor issues — becoming more than just “clumsy” — severe memory and concentration problems, breathing difficulties and episodes of stopped breathing, heart rhythm disturbances and tachycardia, neck, head, and nerve pain, extreme tingling sensations, and involuntary jolts throughout her body…
Because of the compression, sensory processing has become a major problem in every sense of the word — for example, sounds, light, conversations, and more.
Without surgery, she will become paralyzed and her vital functions will permanently fail — with fatal consequences.
This is the harsh reality Melissa has to live with today - but there ís hope! A specialized surgery abroad can save her life and give her a future again.
With everyone's support 💪 we can make this happen. Together, we will give Melissa her life back.
Her daily life now
Melissa is losing her independence. Simple things are impossible: Washing herself, getting dressed, (preparing) food, sitting upright, doing groceries… This is not a life for someone who’s 42 years old — this is deteriorating and merely surviving.
She wants to live again — to breathe, laugh, enjoy life, go outside — in short, to do all the things most of us take for granted.
Her condition
After neck injuries from an accident, she developed a severe complication: CCI-AAI (Cranio-Cervical Instability and Atlanto-Axial Instability). In other words: Melissa’s neck can no longer support her head. The damaged ligaments are no longer keeping the neck vertebrae in place.
Together with her head, those unstable neck vertebrae press on her brainstem, vagus nerve, vital nerves and nerve pathways, spinal cord, and blood vessels.
What this means
The brainstem is the control center of our body; it regulates breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, temperature, movement, and so much more.
When Melissa tries to sit upright or even just move her head (even while lying down), the pressure on all those vital areas increases. The control of her body becomes disrupted and goes haywire, leading to muscle contractions and persistent full-body spasms, loss of strength and paralysis-like symptoms, motor issues — becoming more than just “clumsy” — severe memory and concentration problems, breathing difficulties and episodes of stopped breathing, heart rhythm disturbances and tachycardia, neck, head, and nerve pain, extreme tingling sensations, and involuntary jolts throughout her body…
Because of the compression, sensory processing has become a major problem in every sense of the word — for example, sounds, light, conversations, and more.
Without surgery, she will become paralyzed and her vital functions will permanently fail — with fatal consequences.
This is the harsh reality Melissa has to live with today - but there ís hope! A specialized surgery abroad can save her life and give her a future again.
With everyone's support 💪 we can make this happen. Together, we will give Melissa her life back.
Her daily life now
Melissa is losing her independence. Simple things are impossible: Washing herself, getting dressed, (preparing) food, sitting upright, doing groceries… This is not a life for someone who’s 42 years old — this is deteriorating and merely surviving.
She wants to live again — to breathe, laugh, enjoy life, go outside — in short, to do all the things most of us take for granted.
More clarity
Melissa’s condition is so rare that doctors in Belgium lack the knowledge and expertise to help her.
After a very long search and special imaging (not available in Belgium), she finally received clarity about her condition and found a treatment abroad.
Only a very small number of neurosurgeons worldwide (in Barcelona and the U.S.) are specialized and experienced in her condition.
More clarity
Melissa’s condition is so rare that doctors in Belgium lack the knowledge and expertise to help her.
After a very long search and special imaging (not available in Belgium), she finally received clarity about her condition and found a treatment abroad.
Only a very small number of neurosurgeons worldwide (in Barcelona and the U.S.) are specialized and experienced in her condition.
There is hope — and a solution!
A life-saving surgery is possible abroad with a specialized team led by a renowned neurosurgeon, recognized by the EDS Society. He and his team have experience with Melissa’s complex condition and have successfully treated similar cases. They are offering her a real chance…
They have saved countless people and given them their lives back!
It is her only path to stability, recovery, and a future.
By addressing the structural damage at the level of the skull and neck, and relieving the pressure on the brainstem and vital areas, much can be restored — leading to a significant improvement in her quality of life (see website for details about the surgery).
Many are able to fully rebuild their lives afterward.
The Cost
The preliminary cost estimate is €199,000 – this includes:
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-
-
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- The extensive skull base and neck surgery
- a new specialized CBCT8 upright scan
- guidance, various tests and imaging, consultations, treatments, traction test, and evoked potentials
- hospital stay, several days in intensive care, care hotel, follow-up treatments, aftercare, medication, and rehabilitation
- mandatory care assistant, travel expenses, and lying ambulance transport between countries,…
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-
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It is a journey that will take several months.
Alles telt bij elkaar op maarMelissa krijgt haar toekomst ermee terug.
The surgery can save her life and restore her independence — but without money, there can be no medical help. That is, unfortunately, the harsh reality.
This entire treatment is not covered by health insurance
That’s why this fundraising campaign is so crucial.
The Cost
The estimated total cost is €199,000 — this includes:
- The extensive skull base and neck surgery
- a new specialized CBCT8 upright scan
- guidance, various tests and imaging, consultations, treatments, traction test, and evoked potentials
- hospital stay, several days in intensive care, care hotel, follow-up treatments, aftercare, medication, and rehabilitation
- mandatory care assistant, travel expenses, and lying ambulance transport between countries,…
-
-
It is a journey that will take several months.
Alles telt bij elkaar op maarMelissa krijgt haar toekomst ermee terug.
The surgery can save her life and restore her independence — but without money, there can be no medical help. That is, unfortunately, the harsh reality.
This entire treatment is not covered by health insurance
That’s why this fundraising campaign is so crucial.
Urgent
Melissa has been deteriorating rapidly over the past few months.
Because of the severity of the CCI-AAI, Melissa can no longer wait much longer for the surgery.
She doesn’t like asking for help — it’s very hard for her — but she truly needs you now.
She can’t do this alone!
With this, she’s fighting for her life, her independence, and everything she holds dear.
She refuses to give up hope.
Melissa urgently needs help. The surgery is her only chance — without it, her life is at risk. Don’t let her fight without hope — support Melissa now!
Urgent
Melissa has been deteriorating rapidly over the past few months.
Because of the severity of the CCI-AAI, Melissa can no longer wait much longer for the surgery.
She doesn’t like asking for help — it’s very hard for her — but she truly needs you now.
She can’t do this alone!
With this, she’s fighting for her life, her independence, and everything she holds dear.
She refuses to give up hope.
Melissa urgently needs help. The surgery is her only chance — without it, her life is at risk. Don’t let her fight without hope — support Melissa now!
Your help makes all the difference!
With everyone’s support — and her incredible willpower and determination — we believe Melissa will overcome this battle and once again be able to breathe freely, move, and live without pain.
Alone we can do nothing — together we can do anything!
- Every donation — big or small — brings her closer to the surgery that will give her future back.
- Share this story and campaign (e.g., on your social media), this will increase her chances of support and visibility.
- Use the hashtag #HelpMelissa with your posts
- Want to start your own fundraiser? That too can make a world of difference.
- Download the flyer and distribute it in your store, sports club, workplace,…
- Companies can receive an invoice for advertising on this website.
Melissa deserves a real chance at recovery — a life with comfort and dignity. Together, we can save her life!
Don’t wait until tomorrow. Melissa needs your help NOW. Every day counts.
This is a cry for help and attention for Melissa’s life — a desperate plea.
On behalf of Melissa, and from the bottom of our hearts: thank you for every form of support ❤️
📣 Media and journalists: help make this visible. Share Melissa’s story — give her a voice and a chance.
Donate via Wire Transfer
If you prefer to make a direct transfer yourself, you can find the details of the non-profit organization KopOp – Help Melissa here :
non-profit organization KopOp – Help Melissa
BE94 3632 3447 5514
BIC/SWIFT: BBRUBEBB (for payments outside of Belgium)
Communication:
Bankname ING Belgium
Payconiq
GoFundMe
Donations via GoFundMe are of course welcome, but please keep in mind that the platform takes a percentage.
This is Melissa before her diagnosis: full of life!
Melissa's Story
Melissa was an only child, but the house was anything but quiet.
Over the years, her parents took in several foster brothers and sisters, and for Melissa, it felt like gaining an entire extra family. She thrived among them, spent endless hours playing with her new siblings, and came up with the most creative games and stories.
As a child, Melissa already had a more fragile health and suffered from scoliosis. At the age of twelve, she underwent surgery for this. An infection caused the metal in her back to be removed prematurely, but she got back on her feet — both literally and figuratively. After a year in which she couldn’t attend school, she once again became a cheerful teenager.
About KopOp vzw
The non-profit organization KopOp (HeadUp) was founded to urgently raise funds for initiatives like Help Melissa. The Help Melissa campaign aims to help finance Melissa’s life-saving surgery (or surgeries) and medical treatments, which unfortunately are not covered by insurance.
Our first and foremost goal is to gather enough financial resources so that Melissa can afford the specialized care, essential medical aids, and additional expenses needed to make her recovery possible and improve her quality of life.
With your support, we can give Melissa a real chance at a better future.
If any funds remain after Melissa’s full treatment journey, they will be entirely donated to other patients with life-threatening conditions.
In the future, KopOp vzw also aims to provide information and resources to other patients affected by similar rare conditions.
