Hope for Natasha: BPP law grad’s £160k donation target for specialist surgery

Aspiring lawyer suffers from a rare genetic disease called Ehlers Danlos Syndrome

A BPP law graduate who completed the last two years of her degree from her hospital bed has made a heart felt plea for donations to help fund specialist surgery abroad — which is described as her “only chance” of recovery.

Aspiring lawyer Natasha Silverman, 28, suffers from a rare genetic disease called Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS). The condition is so rare, many doctors have not heard of it.

Despite this, the wannabe lawyer has so far had a glittering legal career: she has completed a mini-pupillage at 6 King’s Bench Walk in 2008, a vac scheme at Slaughter and May in 2012, and worked as an employment law representative for the Free Representation Unit for over two years.

She now works as a SEN Advisor at charity Independent Parental Special Education Advice (IPSEA), that offers free advice to parents of children with special educational needs.

Natasha, who is from Essex, obtained first class marks in all three years of her studies at BPP. She described the day she got her degree as the happiest day of her life on her Facebook page.

Natasha’s little sister Becky, who set up Natasha’s gofundme page, explains how her sister was unable to work upright due to her symptoms, yet managed to maintain “an amazing work ethic” throughout her studies.

Over the past few years, Natasha’s health has rapidly declined. Becky explains:

EDS causes the body to produce defective connective tissue, which is the ‘glue’ that holds the spine, muscles, ligaments, tendons, skin and organs together… Natasha’s connective tissue is too fragile and stretchy to provide the structure and support that her body needs to support itself.

Natasha is on heavy medication, but is in constant pain. She only leaves the house once a week, is confined to a wheelchair, and mostly bed-bound.

In September 2015, Natasha travelled to the USA to visit one of the very few neurosurgeons in the world specialising in her condition. The Silverman family were told that Natasha’s spine is “dangerously unstable”, which is impacting the functioning of her brain. Becky says:

Her only chance of recovery is to undergo several major neurosurgeries. With these operations, Natasha’s surgeon believes there is great hope for her and her future.

Natasha is reaching out to the public for help with funding the cost of the surgeries, including travel to the States, appointments, and hospital care.

The crowdfunding campaign was set up three weeks ago, and so far Natasha has raised just over £8,000 of her £160k target. Last month, she took to Facebook to thank everyone that donated, and to let everyone know how overwhelming the support has been:

You can donate to Natasha’s crowdfunding page here.

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