A Twickenham-based mum who has been left bed-bound by two medical conditions is hoping to raise £45,000 for a surgery in Spain.
Maisie Moore, 25, suffered a fall in February 2021, and now suffers from a range of symptoms, including dizziness, memory issues, impaired vision, and muscle weakness.
When antibiotics for a suspected ear infection failed to improve her condition, Moore – who parents a two-year-old daughter alongside her partner Rebecca McGavin – was hospitalised in March 2021.
However, the couple say Moore was discharged from West Middlesex Hospital without any blood tests or scans on her neck.
McGavin, 22, explained that Moore had ‘managed to ignore what she was feeling’ until the end of last year, when ‘things got a lot worse’ and she became ‘stuck in bed’.
“She went downhill very fast,” McGavin recalled.
Without a diagnosis, Moore and McGavin began conducting their own research into the mother-of-one’s symptoms.
This led the women to believe that Moore had craniocervical instability (CCI) – a medical condition characterised by increased mobility at the point where the skull and the spine meet.
Moore and McGavin contacted both NHS and private doctors in the UK, but say they were confronted with ‘very limited knowledge of the condition’ and were left with no clear treatment options.
The pair then used all of their savings to travel to Barcelona in March 2025 and meet with a specialist neurosurgeon.
The expert diagnosed Moore with both CCI and atlantoaxial instability (AAI), a condition characterised by excessive mobility between the top two spinal vertebrae.
Both CCI and AAI can cause symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, visual disturbances, and brain fog.
Of NHS support for CCI and AAI patients, McGavin said: “For Maisie’s condition, there is no support. Some neurologists recognise the condition, but they just don’t offer any help or support for it.”
Moore now spends her days in bed, unable to care for her daughter.
McGavin said: “It is hard, because Maisie can’t do the things that she wants to do with her, and we just feel like we’re missing out on a lot. There’s so many places that we want to take her, but we can’t until the surgery is done.”
Moore requires an occipitocervical fusion – a complex surgery which will use metal screws, artificial bone material, and donor bones to correct the instability between her skull and spine.
If carried out before March, the operation – which will be carried out at the Teknon Medical Centre in Barcelona – is set to cost £45,000.
After March, the price is likely to increase.
Total costs, including rehabilitation, are expected to reach at least £57,000.
Moore and McGavin have set up a GoFundMe to cover costs, saying the surgery will be ‘life-changing’.
The fundraising page has received over £6,000.
The couple are also planning to host some fundraising events and raffles over the coming months.
McGavin said: “At the end of the day, if [Maisie] doesn’t get this surgery, her condition will just continue to get worse and worse as time goes on.”
A spokesperson for West Middlesex University Hospital said: “We are committed to delivering high-quality emergency care, ensuring that all patients are treated with compassion and urgency. We take any concerns about individual patient experiences seriously and conduct thorough investigations to seek opportunities to learn and improve.”
Featured image: Maisie Moore has been left bed-bound by two medical conditions. Credit: Rebecca McGavin
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