A bodybuilder in peak fitness after losing 16 stone has been left bedbound by a condition which is seeing her slowly "internally decapitated".<br /><br />Melody Wakelin, 41, can barely walk and feels ''like a piece of furniture'' rather than a human.<br /><br />She is facing a race against time raise money for pioneering surgery in Spain after being diagnosed with atlantoaxial instability (AAI). <br /><br />The condition means her brain is sinking into her spinal canal and her skull is sliding down onto her neck.<br /><br />Even a slight bump on the head or sudden neck movement could "completely crush" her brain stem and in extreme cases lead to death. <br /><br />The mum-of-two first fell ill in 2017 - just three weeks after competing in a bodybuilding competition.<br /><br />She experienced symptoms including tremors, muscle spasms, vision problems and difficulty standing.<br /><br />Melody went to countless doctors and specialist over the years, but no one could find the cause of her issues. <br /><br />Doctors even suggested she might have Munchausen's syndrome - where a person seeks medical attention for fake or self-inflicted symptoms.<br /><br />After doing her own research, Melody found a leading spinal surgeon in Barcelona, Spain, who was correctly diagnosed her in September 2023.<br /><br />Despite being unsure what caused the illness, the specialist believes it was connected to her condition Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome – which affects her connective tissue.<br /><br />Her health has now deteriorated to the point where she can't walk – causing her to gain back the weight she had lost.<br /><br />Melody fears she may "die at any moment" and is desperate to raise £115k to undergo life-saving surgery abroad.<br /><br />Melody, a former personal trainer and self-employed barber, from Ashford, Kent, said: “I went from being a bodybuilding to be bedbound.<br /><br />“I can't walk, and I struggle to stand and even sit up now.<br /><br />"I could be internally decapitated if I bump my head or move my head too suddenly - it's terrifying.<br /><br />"I've deteriorated to the point where I need a wheelchair to get about and I've lost all independence.<br /><br />“I’m basically a piece of furniture and can’t move.<br /><br />"I'm terrified I don't get the surgery, it will get worse, and I'll be left paralysed or die."<br /><br />Fitness fanatic Melody fell in love with bodybuilding after losing 16.5 stone – going from 25st to 8st 7lbs and a size 8 to 10. <br /><br />But just weeks after coming second in a competition in 2017, she started experience severe “brain fog”.<br /><br />Melody continued to experience more debilitating symptoms and had no idea why it began. <br /><br />She went to “countless appointments'' with NHS and private specialists, including neurologists and surgeons.<br /><br />She underwent tests, scans and multiple trips to A&E after the symptoms become “unbearable”.<br /><br />Melody - who lives at home with her two kids Hudson, 11, and Wentworth, 13, and husband Jack Wakelin, 36, a project manager - said: “I had to quit work, and I can’t really look after the kids or even leave the house.
