SHE couldn't walk a step because of a rare brain condition - but now Emma Patrick is planning a 15-mile charity walk from Selby to York following successful surgery to remove part of her skull and spine.

Emma has also entered a series of pageants, recently winning Miss Charity Heart York, as she seeks to give hope to others who, like her, have faced illness or childhood bullying.

The 28-year-old said her condition had no cure, so she wanted to live life to the full to help as many people as possible while she could.

Emma, who lives near Riccall, between York and Selby, told how she had turned her life around since she underwent a nine-hour operation to tackle Arnold - Chiari Malformation.

The condition led to her brain becoming too big for her skull and pushing downwards on her spine - leaving her bed bound and unable to walk without aid.

"They removed the back of the skull and some of the spine," she said. "My condition was so severe that my brain was compacted into the skull and some of it had to come away."

She said that after the surgery, she gradually learnt to walk again and on Sunday June 12 she was planning to walk from Selby Railway Station to York station, to raise funds for the British Heart Foundation and the York Indian Cultural Association.

She said she led fundraising for the BHF's Selby group and was the head fundraiser for the association, which helped people of Indian origin who were new to York.

She had also set up her own tutoring business, Emerald Roots, for adults who would struggle at mainstream college or university. "I wanted to help them because of my past experiences and some of them are now doing university courses."

Emma said she had known from a young age she was different, but just didn't know why. "I couldn’t do all the things the other children could do," she said.

"I couldn’t ride a bike, swim or run without feeling sick and getting a headache. I was bullied physically and verbally at school because I was different. I became shy and would not speak to anyone."

Her health worsened during her late teens and early 20s and a brain scan when she was 26 revealed the source of the problems.

She said she wanted to create awareness of her condition in the hope that a cure might be found, if not for her but the next generation.

"I don’t want anybody to go through this. I also want to stand up for invisible illnesses. People are so quick to judge others without getting to know them and I want this to stop."

*To sponsor Emma's walk, go to http://fnd.us/c18N5d?ref=sh_24y0t2