Woman whose brain was slipping from her skull and down her spine celebrates surgery recovery by walking 600k steps

A 33-year-old woman who was told her brain was slipping from her skull and down her spine after noticing her hands were tingling has now had corrective surgery and walked more than 600,000 steps to raise money for the hospital that treated her.

Nia Redman, a finance officer from Wrexham, Wales, was diagnosed with Chiari malformation, where the lower part of the brain pushes down into the spinal canal, in September 2022 and underwent surgery to correct it.

It was also discovered that she had a cyst on her spine but following surgery, surgeons have found that it is not dangerous and will be monitored.

Nia spent last Christmas recovering in hospital and, no longer needing further treatment, she has raised more than £2,000 to “say thank you” to the staff at the Walton Centre in Liverpool.

She said: “It’s the last thing you expect or want to hear. It didn’t really hit me at first but it wasn’t until doctors started talking to me about surgery that it really sunk in.

“Spending Christmas in hospital wasn’t what I’d wanted, especially as I’m a big Christmas person, but I’m planning to make up for it this year.

“Thanks to the staff at the Walton Centre, my results all look good and now I’m just getting monitored every few months with a scan, so I wanted to take on the walking challenge to raise money for them.

“The staff were absolutely amazing and the biggest reason I wanted to do the challenge was because I saw just how much they help people.”

Nia first started to notice that something was wrong in 2019 when she began experiencing a tingling sensation in her hands but, due to Covid, she did not have an doctor’s appointment until March 2022.

She said: “I was having tingly fingers and in my hands. It was happening all the time so I went to the doctor, they thought it could be carpal tunnel and I was referred to a specialist.”

Undergoing tests, Nia said the doctors noticed there was a problem with her spine and, with further scans, her care was transferred to the Walton Centre.

From there, doctors worked to narrow down the cause of the issue.

Nia said: “Things moved quite quickly and by September, they were able to give me a formal diagnosis, although nothing could have prepared me for just how serious it was.”

At the Walton Centre, Nia’s diagnosis of Chiari malformation was confirmed.

The condition meant that Nia’s brain was slipping out of her skull and pushing down into her spinal canal, while medics also found a cyst in her spine.

She said: “It’s something you never want in your life and it wasn’t what I was expecting.

“I think it didn’t really hit me until they started talking about what they were going to do and that I’d need surgery.”

On December 6, 2022, Nia underwent an operation called posterior fossa decompression where the surgeon removed a small section of bone in the back of the skull, relieving pressure by giving the brain more room.

They also removed the blockage around the cyst in her spine and patched up the area where her brain was slipping to stabilise it.

The surgery was a success and Nia was discharged after four days in hospital but, once home, she suffered a leak of spinal fluid from the scar at the back of her head and was readmitted.

She said: “The recovery was actually going OK at first and I was home within four days but unfortunately I had a leak.

“I ended up spending a few weeks in hospital and was there over Christmas. I normally spend the day with my mum, dad, brother and extended family.

“It’s a big deal and I’m a big Christmas person so I was gutted to miss out but my family came to visit me on the day.”

Despite not being home for the holidays, Nia commented that the staff were “amazing” and made her “feel better with positivity” while she was there.

Nia left hospital in January 2023, and will need to return for a scan in 12 months but said the results of her surgery are looking “positive”.

After spotting a poster while in hospital for a fundraiser walk, Nia set herself a challenge of walking 100,000 steps in May as a way to “give back” to the place that treated her.

She said: “It gave me something to work towards while I recovered and in May I wanted to raise money for the Walton Centre through the walking challenge.

“The idea was to raise £100 by walking 100,000 steps but I got competitive and ended up walking around 600,000 by the time the month ended.”

Nia fitted her daily walks in around work, sometimes going by herself and other times she was joined by friends or family members.

Completing her challenge on May 31, Nia celebrated with bubbly and cake at the park with friends after raising more than £2,000 for the centre.

She said: “My original target was £100 so it has far exceeded my expectations.

“I posted about my challenge on Facebook and I hadn’t really told many people prior what I’d been going through so I think people were shocked to find out.

“My friends and family have all been supportive and donated to the cause.

“I really just wanted to say thank you to the staff who helped me while I was going through my treatment. They were absolutely amazing and I’m very grateful to them all.”

To donate to Nia’s fundraiser, visit: www.thewaltoncentrecharity.org/fundraisers/nias-walk-for-walton-100k-steps-in-may