2013 I was diagnosed with sleep apnoea.

I don't fit into the 'usual' bracket of people with sleep apnoea (I'm not an overweight, heavy drinking, fat necked man). My sleep appeal is caused by my recessive lower jaw.

I was given CPAP treatment, the 'gold standard' treatment. This helped a little. I did have 2 clear dreams in the 6 months I tolerated it. I also had 6 months of slow torture with it. I tried different masks, different air pressures. I would wake at 2am in agony and absolutely inflated and have to deflate my tummy and take charcoal tablets through the day.

When I stopped the CPAP treatment, I had to inform the DVLA. They revoked my driving licence. I lost my job.

I have 4 slipped discs in both my lumbar and cervical spine (cervical is due to arthritis). I was now reliant on busses from my village for everything. I had to try shopping on the bus with my back and neck pain how it is. Losing my car licence bit me. Hard. I became depressed. I am a single mum. It was tough not being able to take my son out at the weekend (the busses from my village run every 2 hours on a sunday) and to be so tired from the sleep apnoea and back pain that I am short tempered sometimes.

I have seen a maxillo facial surgeon who has agreed I need orthagnathic surgery to cure my sleep apnoea. Which is great news. We're currently trialling mandibular advancement devices to see how successful the surgery will be.

The crux of the problem is this. I require orthodontic treatment before I can have surgery. My teeth need to be aligned pre surgery into the position they will need to be in post surgery. Which isn't a problem. Except that the North Wales NHS wait list is 3.5 years just to SEE an orthodontist.

The only way I can speed up orthodontist treatment is by paying privately. I have nothing of any value to sell and raise funds. I feel somewhat ashamed asking for help. I just want to get my life back on track.