'Being pregnant left me paralysed': Mother lost the ability to move before giving birth due to a rare condition causing the brain to crush the spine

Sian Colclough, 29, from Wrexham, suffers from a Chiari malformation, where the brain pushes down into the spinal canal, blocking the flow of cerebrospinal fluid. It meant she became paralysed when her baby pressed on her nerves. 

She also suffers headaches - often  triggered by sneezing or laughing - that are so unbearable she had to spend hours sitting with sunglasses on and all of the curtains closed. She was able to move once son Lennon (right) was born, but now uses a wheelchair (left) as she has Charcot-Marie-Tooth, a muscle wasting condition causing excruciating nerve pain and leaving her unable to walk long distances. Desribing the pain of her Chiari malformation, she said: 'I can feel my spine being crushed by my brain and the pressure is really intense, but it's something that I've had to learn to live with.'