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Pokimane has previously discussed the criticism she faced due to her hair but she has embraced her curls nevertheless

A 25-year-old who has been mostly bed bound by a painful condition that is causing her brain to slip down her spine is pleading for help to raise funds for lifesaving treatment in the US to stabilise her skeleton. Desperate to raise the £200,000 she needs, Emily Balfour, from London, said she will eventually face permanent disability and is at risk of paralysis if she does not receive PICL, a procedure that injects stem cells into the spine through the back of the mouth. An ice-skating accident at the age of 14 flagged the alarming conditions that cause Emily to now live with “relentless levels of pain”. She was diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS), a collection of rare conditions affecting the connective tissues that make her joints unstable and prone to dislocation, as well as craniocervical instability (CCI), meaning the area where her skull and spine meet is dangerously unstable. Emily also has Chiari malformation, which means the lower part of her brain has herniated and is pushing down through the top of her spinal column. “My health is continuing to deteriorate but I still haven’t managed to raise enough money to get the treatment I need in America,” Emily said. “It would be lifesaving for me and, unless I get the treatment, my life is on pause and stagnated, I’ve become largely bed bound. “And this issue doesn’t just affect me, there are so many people with this condition who are struggling to get funds for treatment abroad. Money is the barrier for us being able to live our lives.” In 2011, Emily was first diagnosed with EDS after an ice-skating accident resulted in a trip to the doctors. I want to keep my sense of agency but it’s getting more and more difficult. Emily Balfour Once a sporty and active teen, Emily is now confined to her bed most days. Due to Chiari malformation, Emily’s brain is pushing down through the top of her spinal column and she said medical specialists have informed her that some of her brain is no longer in her skull. Emily once had dreams of working in film, but she is unable to complete her degree and is also not able to work while she struggles with her health. She said: “I’m not able to participate in life, I’m unable to work and I keep having to delay the completion of my degree. “I have limited vision, I can’t see out of my left eye and I have recently dealt with limb paralysis.” Earlier this year, Emily was rushed to hospital after her left arm became paralysed and swollen. She said: “It looked like a dead person’s arm, I feared I’d never regain mobility of it. “It turned out I was struggling with blood flow to the arm, and I’ve regained limited use of my arm, but I’m high risk of it happening again. “I’ve seen people with these conditions lose function of their arms completely and that obviously concerns me because I live by myself. “I want to keep my sense of agency but it’s getting more and more difficult.” Emily said her brainstem has been damaged to the point where her body is not functioning and she suffers daily from extreme fatigue, periods of paralysis, and loss of vision. It’s incredibly frustrating and I have to accept that I can’t live the life I thought I would. Emily Balfour As a result, Emily now finds herself largely bed bound, is regularly in and out of hospital and suffers from excruciating symptoms which threaten irreversible physical disability and potentially death. Innovative treatment in the US to stabilise her skeleton will be life-changing for Emily, but it comes at a cost. She hopes to raise £200,000 for multiple stem cell treatments, medical care and accommodation in Colorado, USA, where she will undergo a procedure known as PICL to repair and strengthen the ligaments that keep her skull stable. She said: “I’m in relentless levels of pain and, the more activity I do where I’m moving my neck, the worse the pain is. “If I don’t get treatment then it’s looking likely that eventually I will lose the use of one or both of my arms. “The longer it goes on, I’m losing more and more years of my life.” Before her diagnosis, Emily had dreams of working in film, having attended the BFI Film Academy as a teen. She also had plans to travel after finishing her English degree, which is currently on hold. Emily said: “It’s incredibly frustrating and I have to accept that I can’t live the life I thought I would. “I’m seeing other people my age having fun and building their careers but until I get the PICL procedure, I’m stuck. “There are other people who are also in my situation and it’s not an easy journey but I just hope that these treatments will be easier to access closer to home so we can get back to living.” I just want to be able to complete my degree and have a normal life and not be stuck in this living hell. Emily Balfour Emily hopes more research into EDS will result in more treatment options becoming available. For Emily, she says the procedure will be a lifeline and enable her to start living again. “Getting treatment will change everything,” she said. “I wanted to write and make films, but I am now more interested in medicine and want to get a psychotherapy qualification and work in that field. “I used to be so passionate about movies and reading, but because of my brain and vision issues, I’m restricted to audiobooks now. I can’t even do basic things like watching TV, that once brought me so much joy. “I just want to be able to complete my degree and have a normal life and not be stuck in this living hell.” To donate to Emily’s fundraiser, visit: www.gofundme.com/f/urgent-treatment-for-emily. 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A private investigator has revealed the top signs that your partner is cheating on you. Charlotte Notley, from Norwich, has spent years investigating suspicious activities, two-timing spouses, and secretive dalliances. Advising people to keep tabs on their other half, she recommends everything from checking browser satnav destinations to surprising your partner at work. Now she shares tips on how to spot a cheater, telling people to trust their guts. “Distance will be the first indicator,” the 32-year-old told NeedToKnow. “Hiding their phone and unexplained times away without much of an explanation is another sign. Check for changes in their social media- new followers and friends,” she said. “Check their browser history on shared devices. Check previous destinations on a Satnav and make a surprise visit to your partner's work or usual place they should be." “You know your partner the best, so if something feels off, then it probably is. “Most clients who come to us know there is something not right and they usually are correct. “Secretive behaviour is a key indicator for any relationship as trust must always be there. “If you feel concerned, ask your partner to reassure you and your trust. “If you are still not satisfied then trust your instinct.” According to the World Population Review, approximately half of the people in married relationships cheat on their spouse. Between January and March this year, 28,865 divorce applications were registered, reports Gov.co.uk. “If you have exhausted all avenues to get to the truth yourself then it is best to hire a professional,” she said. “Private Investigators cannot go through someone’s phone or breach any UK GDPR laws, therefore it is only for the case of if your partner is physically spending time with someone else that a PI can help but ensure the cost is always worth the reward. “Having evidence of your partner cheating will not assist in any divorce or legal proceedings but it will give you peace of mind one way or another.” However, not everything is always as it seems, with some surveillance efforts turning out to be wasted on innocent people. “We conducted surveillance for a female who was adamant her husband was cheating on her. “It turns out he was spending time in a restaurant car park with a coffee and a book. “He was being dishonest about it but he certainly wasn’t having an affair.” Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Joshua Kamei, a freelance New York-based womenswear designer, was terrified the first time he stopped a woman on the street to ask, “Could you tell me more about your look?” It was just after people started to emerge from Covid lockdowns and he thought it was time to move his longtime passion of photographing New York City’s most stylish ladies to video. “It picked up,” he tells Refinery29. “And because of the number of views, I just kept doing it.”

Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific on Wednesday swung to a healthy profit in the first half of the year thanks to a pick-up in travel, with the airline expecting passenger capacity to reach 70 percent...