This weekend I received some very sad and shocking news.
I’m a member of a scoliosis support group and I found out that one of the staff members Vicki, who was a truly inspirational person and good friend to many on the site, sadly passed away aged just 28.
This was a huge shock to all members of the site including myself and I’m very upset by this devastating news. I can’t get over the unfairness of it all 🙁
I believe Vicki was born with very severe scoliosis, and had spine surgeries very early aged just 5 and 10. Because of the severity of her curve she was left with a very large curvature after surgery. This, and the fact that she had scoliosis from birth, meant that her lungs were unable to develop properly while she was growing and so her lung function was very low.
Unfortunately this made her very vulnerable to severe chest infections and I believe it was pneumonia that was the tragic cause of her death 🙁
It’s a horrible reminder of what can happen in very severe cases and that we need more awareness raising for this condition.
A Just Giving page has been set-up in Vicki’s memory to raise funds for the Scoliosis Association http://www.justgiving.com/4vicki .
If you can, please help to support the cause and spread the word in Vicki’s memory.
RIP Vicki, you won’t be forgotten.
xxx
NB: Scoliosis surgery research and techniques are advancing all the time and children born with severe scoliosis today can be treated using alternative techniques such as growth rods which allow the child’s spine to continue to grow without the curve worsening.
I had scoliosis surgery in 2010 and blog about my experiences living with scoliosis. My aim is to raise awareness of scoliosis and help and inspire others with the condition.