Mum in race to get surgery for 'humpback' daughter whose spine is bent at 50 degrees

Yasmin Dennett, 12, has idiopathic scoliosis and her spine in curved at a 50-degree angle

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Yasmin Dennett loves to dance.

The 12-year-old is a fan of sports and enjoys running round with her friends at school like most other children.

But after her mum Zoe noticed that Yasmin started to develop a strange curve in her spine, she discovered her daughter has a condition that is creating a 'humpback' effect and could risk crushing her lungs and heart.

Yasmin has idiopathic scoliosis, which has caused her spine to curve at a 50-degree angle.

She has to wear a body brace to keep her spine from moving too much and Zoe is desperate to get her daughter pioneering spinal treatment .





Yasmin's hump-shaped back makes her anxious about her appearance





She has to wear a body brace to keep her spine in place 



A scan shows just how curved Yasmin's spine is

The only surgery available in the UK is spinal fusion, but this stops the growth so is not recommended for Yasmin at the moment, her mum said.

But Zoe fears if Yasmin doesn't have alternative surgery soon the curve of her spine could end up impacting on her heart and lungs.

The 39-year-old noticed a strange curve in her daughter's spine about 12 months ago and knew something wasn't right.

Single mum Zoe told the Mirror: "Last year I noticed that her back looked strange and her ribs didn't seem right.

"I took her the hospital where they did a scan and they said she has scoliosis. I was in shock, I had never heard of this condition.

"Yasmin was fitted with a spinal core brace which she has to wear most of the time.

"She is just 12 years old and it breaks my heart to hear that she just wants her spine to be normal. I don't want to see her suffer anymore."

As if dealing with her daughter's condition wasn't enough, Zoe fought with kidney cancer a year before Yasmin's spinal problems arose. She said Yasmin is often in pain and gets anxious about how her back looks.




The brace exaggerates Yasmin's hump, which makes her feel self conscious




Yasmin pictured with her mum Zoe




She could have spinal fusion surgery but it would mean she would lose flexibility

And for the schoolgirl who loves to dance and play sports, it is a difficult thing to deal with.

Zoe added: "Yasmin has a very visible 'rib hump' that measures 18 on a scolimeter - this is very high. She is in a lot of pain and is now very conscious about how she looks and is very anxious about what will happen to her as she continues to grow.

"Since finding out she has scoliosis, Yasmin has not been the happy go lucky girl she has been. I am also very worried about her mental state of mind. "

Spinal fusion, available on the NHS, is not favourable when a child is still growing as it stops the growth, Zoe said.

She added: "If we wait until she stops growing to have surgery, the curve will be very big and will impact her lungs and heart."

Instead, Zoe wants to send her daughter to Germany to have surgery which will enable Yasmin to play sports, dance and do the things she loves. This surgery is called Vertebral Body Tethering, and will see a small cord inserted into Zoe's back, through keyhole surgery, to “tether” the vertebrae where the curve is.

Surgeons will reduce the curve significantly during the surgery and the tethers will continue to reduce the curve while she grows. And, most importantly, this surgery would prevent the scoliosis from progressing, Zoe explains.

But it doesn't come cheap - Zoe is trying to raise to £40,000 to fix her little girl.

"If she has the NHS spinal fusion surgery, she would have to live with this for the rest of her life," said Zoe. "She wouldn't be able to do a lot of physical activities.



Zoe wants her daughter to have the best treatment available



Yasmin loves to dance and play sports

"But this other treatment looks amazing and would mean she could have a normal life. It needs to be done while the bones are still growing otherwise it will be too late.

Zoe has launched a crowdfunding page online to try and raise the cash to send Zoe to Germany.

She said: "I am asking for help to raise the money to enable her to have the VBT surgery before her remaining growth time runs out. I am a single working parent with a small family and am really struggling to raise all the money after having surgery myself last year for cancer."

The mum is also calling for schools to start checking for scoliosis at an early age so it can be detected.

She said: "Our schools do not check for scoliosis in kids and all that is needed is a simple bend over test that only take a few seconds.

"I feel very bad that my daughter's scoliosis was wasn't picked up earlier when it wasn't so severe, so maybe bracing at an earlier age could have helped and avoided surgery."

To help Yasmin, you can donate here.

Source : Mirror,UK - 6 Oct 2017