A young North Belfast man who had a 78 degree curve in his spine is on the road to recovery following life changing surgery in London.
Pearse Campbell-Quinn, 20, has required 24 hour care from his parents after he was born with cerebral palsy and over the years has gone onto develop a number of other issues including scoliosis and a lung condition.
In 2020, he began to develop a bend in his spine which deteriorated very quickly until it reached 74 degrees one year later.
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Over the past two years his condition had stabilised to an extent with the help of a special back brace from a hospital in London, with former world champion boxer Carl Frampton and his wife Christine lending their support with a £4,000 donation.
However, in recent months the curve of his spine, which eventually reached 78 degrees, started to put severe pressure on his internal organs, particularly his lungs, stomach and bowel, and he was in need of urgent surgery to address the problem.
At the end of May, Pearse and his family went to London for the life-changing operation, which they believe has been very successful and he is now recovering in intensive care with the hopes that he will be home in six to eight weeks.
Speaking to Belfast Live, Pearse's mum Aisling said: "The past three years have been such a tough time for Pearse but he has shown such strength and determination throughout it all and we hope that we are now on the right track following his surgery.
"He is currently in intensive care on a ventilator, but his breathing seems to be improving every day and we just hope that his condition continues to improve so we can have him home for his 21st birthday in September.
"We are still waiting for Pearse to go for a scan to see just how successful the surgery has been, but just looking at him I can tell that it has made a huge improvement and hopefully he will now be able to live his life free from the pain he has endured.
"We are so grateful for all of the support we have received from the doctors and staff here at the Strandmore Hospital, the care Pearse has received has been fantastic and everyone has made our family feel so welcome and at ease.
"We are also hugely thankful for all of the support we have received from our local community, particularly Carl and Christine Frampton, as without their initial support we don't know if Pearse would have been able to make it to the surgery.
"Pearse still has a tough few weeks ahead of him as he slowly comes off of the ventilator, but he is getting there and you can see how much he wants to get home and continue his life.
"We are taking baby steps, but thankfully they are baby steps forward."
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