Wolverhampton woman hoping to walk again after being misdiagnosed for two years

Rhiannon Pilczek, from Bilston, first approached doctors when she was 11 years old with pain in her knee and hip, only to be told it was the result of a pulled muscle and advised to lose some weight.

Soon after she was left unable to walk and was rushed to hospital where she was diagnosed with a slipped upper femoral epiphysis (SUFE), having her hip pinned as a result.

Following countless visits to the hospital and several rounds of steroid injections to manage the pain, Rhiannon was then misdiagnosed by doctors in 2021 with Burstitis, a condition that refers to fluid around the joints.

Upon a return visit to the hospital in April, the 26-year-old was given her first CT scan, where consultants discovered a long list of conditions that had previously been missed including abnormality in both hips, excessive distance between her shin bone and kneecap and bilateral trochlear dysplasia, meaning both kneecaps spontaneously dislocate.

Still battling the condition 15 years on from her initial hospital visit, Rhiannon has been forced to quite her job and is bound to a wheelchair, unable to stand without support.

She said: "I've had to ask my mum to help me get out of bed for a week because I'm so stiff, I only ever get up on crutches in the house if I need the toilet, but if I'm out the house it's always in a wheelchair because I just can't do it.

"I can't get in the shower because I've ruptured my whole knee ligament as well, I can't get down the stairs or up the stairs by myself, I can't stand and make a meal, I can't carry food, I literally can't do anything. It's just took everything from me.

"I've had to quit my job, I've worked every year of my life since I was 16, I can't drive my car – I can't even get in my car. My worst fear is being left for so long that my mobility struggles to ever get back."

Rhiannon is now hoping to raise funds to see a consultant privately to discuss potential treatment options including surgery, having been faced with a 20-week wait-list to see a consultant on the NHS.

She added: "I would never be able to thank people enough, I would give anything to be able to go private for everything because it's ruined my life. I've spent the last 15 years always battling my health – It is the difference between getting fixed within six months and getting fixed within three years.

"I can't live like this. I've raised enough to book in a private consultation next week but it's everything, I've had to give up work, I can't afford to live, I've just been so stressed from start to finish. I've never felt so overwhelmed and I'm only 26."

To support Rhiannon in her fundraising effort, go to gofundme.com/f/help-rhiannon-walk-again.