A Derry family have opened up about the life-changing surgery their daughter went through two years ago.
Ava Sims' grandmother first noticed a curve in her spine in 2018, recognising the same curvature she saw in Ava's late mum.
The 15-year-old's father Andy and his wife Grainne McAnee immediately took Ava to her GP and were referred to Musgrave in Belfast to see a specialist.
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The family faced a rollercoaster of a journey since Ava's scoliosis was discovered.
Grainne said: "It impacted everything Ava did. It impacted what she looked like, it wasn't noticeable as she had really good posture. She was tired all the time and could not eat a lot because of her digestive system being impacted on the curve of her spine. It really changed her, she is so bubbly and outgoing and this just made her so tired and quiet.
Ava said: "I was in constant agony. I could not sit straight for more than 10 minutes without having to use my hands to prop my back up. It was awful.
Ava went through a nine-hour operation in the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast to fix the curve in her spine.
Andy said: "She was under for over nine hours. When we saw her in ICU she looked like she had gone a few rounds with Mike Tyson just because of how long she was lying face down."
Grainne said: "Ava's attitude through all of it was amazing. The level of pain she was going to go through terrified me but they managed it so well so she was able to get back walking again and doing physio. She is so independent and it was so hard for her to just sit in a bed and not be able to do everything herself.
"We were not allowed in the ward together due to covid restrictions so we did a 10-day rota of visiting her. It was hard because we did not even have each other.
"Though it was tough, we had a lot of nice chats and it was a very bonding experience. We got through it all together. It took a lot of strength to go through what she did and we were blown away by her bravery."
Ava gained three inches to her height after the surgery and while she was thrilled to be out of constant pain, learning to get used to looking at herself standing and feeling in an entirely new way was not as straightforward as she had thought.
She said: "I am 5ft 8ins now. Even now I tilt my head because I was so used to having my head tilted due to the curve in my spine. Life is a lot less painful, I can sleep properly now.
"I can focus more on school rather than the pain. However, I got a really negative body image and became insecure of how I looked for a while which never existed before."
The family wanted to thank the incredible team of surgeons who helped them through this difficult time.
Grainne said: "She does still live with the effects of it, she can't just bend down normally because of the metal rods in her back. She used to love gymnastics when she was younger she's had to go through a lot of change in that.
"We have massive gratitude towards Ava's two surgeons, Mr Sloan and Mr Dhokia, as well as the spinal liaison nurse, Deirdre Fee and everyone else involved. Their level of care and compassion was incredible."
While Ava received first-class care from specialists, the family found that locally the healthcare system was unequipped to deal with Ava's unique issues and wish for more widespread medical knowledge to be available to healthcare professionals.
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