Normal life is best gift for Katherine (From Malvern Gazette)

Normal life is best gift for Katherine

9:32am Friday 18th July 2008

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TWELVE-year-old Katherine Munn received her dream birthday present when she was told she could go back to being a "normal girl" following two major spine operations.

Katherine was just eight when her GP spotted the onset of the painful condition scoliosis - asymmetry of the spine - during a routine appointment.

After more than 12 hours of intrusive surgery, and a year-and-a-half long recovery, Katherine has been told she can go back to doing the things she loves - joining in with gym classes at school, swimming and playing her favourite sports like rounders and tennis.

Celebrating her 12th birthday on Wednesday Katherine appeared every-inch the typical, energetic 12-year-old.

But two-years-ago that was a different story, when her condition had deteriorated so much that she was constantly doubled-over, her spine bent like a question mark.

Her family took her to specialist Harley Street surgeon Hilali Nordeen, who recommended surgery, and then secured the £47,000 needed from the then South Worcestershire Primary Care Trust for the operation to be performed at Stanmore Hospital in Middlesex.

In November 2006 a first operation, lasting seven hours, saw surgeons remove a rib and realign her spine. Katherine had to spend a week lying totally still in bed, before a second five-hour operation, to insert two titanium rods and 12 sets of nuts and bolts into her back.

Despite the immediate improvement in her body-shape and posture, it has been a long road to recovery for Dyson Perrins High School pupil Katherine, who undergoes physiotherapy at Malvern Community Hospital.

But having been given the all-clear to participate in anything but heavy-contact sports she is making up for lost time, walking on the hills, ten-pin bowling, swimming, and indulging her love of dancing.

"I just cheered when they told me the good news, I was so happy," she said. "I have had to sit out of quite a lot of things, and now when I go back to school after the holidays I will be able to get into my PE kit and start doing normal activities like everybody else.

"It really is the perfect birthday present."

Katherine's grandmother Sue Barnes said Katherine was the family's own "little miracle".

"It was very hard for us to see her deteriorate from being a perfect little eight-year-old running around, to being almost crippled in the space of just 12 months," she said. "The specialist told us there could have been a serious impact on her long term health had we not acted when we did.

"But all the way through she has just been so brave, and so patient, and it is lovely to see her so happy."

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