My name in Candice, I'm 31 and originally from South Africa. I suffer from a medical condition called lipedema/lipoedema - a fat disorder that affects around 11% of the female population. The NHS doesn't currently fund the lymph-sparing liposuction I need to treat this disease, with each operation costing around £5k. Left untreated, lipedema can result in a total loss of mobility.

In November 2017, I was featured on Dr Christian Will See You now (season 2, episode 2) - something I did to spread awareness of lipedema, and also to get some help. I was incredibly blessed to be offered 2 of the surgeries I need in order to treat my condition. I had my first surgery on 1 December 2017, with 6 liters of diseased fat removed from my upper and inner thighs. The change to my mobility has already been astounding! I have my second surgery planned for the end of this month.

I'm affected from my waist down to my ankles, as well as my full arms, tummy and back - I have 2 of my surgeries covered, but I'm battling to come up with the funds for the rest - I would still need another 4 or more surgeries. My legs would require another 1-2 surgeries, arms 1-2 surgeries, back, stomach and hips - so at this stage it's difficult to guess who many surgeries as the amount removed each time varies. At £5k per surgery - I'm sure you can imagine how this would be almost impossible to self fund! Sadly, many ladies are in the same position.

On top of surgey costs, I would also need to cover multiple sessions of MLD (manual lymphatic drainage) at £70 a session - 2 times a week for the first 2-3 week post operatively, and then once a week for a further 6-8 weeks. I lose money while in recovery as I'm unable to work- my first surgery resulted in 2 weeks of recovering at home. The costs are staggering, and frankly unmanageable. I've been saving up since April 2017, and I still don't have enough saved to cover just 1 surgery - the condition is progressive so it cannot wait another 5 years to continue treatment.

A bit of my story:

Before coming to the UK at the age of 19, I was VERY active - enjoying things like athletics, judo, kickboxing, swimming, bike riding etc. After a very stressful first year in the UK, I gained 20 pounds in 1 month- with no changes to my diet or exercise. I was tested for diabetes and thyroid, which both came back clean. For the next 10 years I would try every diet and exercise regime I could - weight watchers, slimming world, jane plan- you name it, I tried it. My weight continued to increase. As my weight went up, my mobility went down - even simple exercise like walking would results in injury.

In April 2017, I started something called fasciablasting, and in my before photos, I noticed swelling under my knees that clearly wasn't normal! I went to the GP, who suspected lymphedema - bloods came back normal. At this stage, my GP blew me off again- telling me to call back in a month. I started doing my own research and came across lipedema/lipoedema. I gathered all the info I could, went back to my GP, who confirmed it was lipedema and that there's very little they can do on the NHS.

This is when I started looking into funding my surgeries, and also when I was contacted to feature on Dr Christian Will See You Now.

About lipedema:

* Lipedema doesn't respond to traditional diet and exercise - you cannot starve lipedema.

* Lipedema is a painful and progressive condition - usually driven by hormones and inflammation.

* Often misdiagnosed as lymphedema or obesity - unlike lymphedema, lipedema doesn't affect the hands or feet, and is a build up of abnormal fat and fluid, and unlike obesity- lipedema doesn't respond to traditional diet or exercise.

* Around 11% of the female population is affected, and only around 5% of GP's are aware of the condition - which is often only diagnosed in the later stages.

Any help would be appreciated! Any excess funds will go towards researching lipedema and helping my fellow sufferers.