Time to approve life-changing op
KEEN dancer Iona Stewart has been given the chance to keep doing what she loves.
But the 12-year-old and her family have had to pay a large price for it.
The surgery she needed is approved for UK surgeons – but, sadly, not on the NHS.
To get specialist treatment on her spine, her family had to raise £50,000 and go to Turkey.
Iona’s life changed when scoliosis was diagnosed last year.
The NHS can’t fund an ever-growing wish list.
But this treatment could be the difference between dancing or walking unaided. That can’t be too much to ask for.
A GIRL dancer has been forced to travel to Turkey for a £50,000 operation to cure her crippling spine condition after being denied the treatment on the NHS.
Iona Stewart, 12, was told by doctors here that they would need to fuse her backbone together to cure her scoliosis, leaving her unable walk unaided.
It would have ended her dreams of dancing competitively forever.
Her parents Yvonne and Ian were told that without the fusion surgery the condition would worsen, crushing her organs and putting her life in danger.
They were determined to give Iona the best chance at life and found Dr Ahmet Alanay, a renowned surgeon based in Turkey who specialises in vertebral body tethering.
VBT gives patients a chance to keep full mobility but the complex operation is not available on the NHS in Scotland even though it is approved for UK surgeons.
Yvonne and Ian, from Glenboig, Lanarkshire, instead borrowed money and launched an online appeal to raise funds.
Iona is now back on her feet after the op and looking forward to dancing again.
But her parents want to know why the treatment isn’t available on the NHS here.
Ian said: “It seems cruel when VBT is available in other countries but not in Scotland.”
Yvonne said: “We knew Iona’s only hope was to go abroad and have this surgery, which would leave her spine more flexible and give her a quality of life.
“Fusing her spine together would have meant she’d never be able to compete again or do the things she loves. It would also have affected her growth.
“When we found this alternative procedure, we knew we had to do everything in our power to make it happen.
“We don’t have that sort of money so we borrowed a large sum and set up an online appeal, which has raised over £10,000. “You just do whatever it takes to help your child.” The couple sent Iona’s X-rays and medical records to Dr Alanay and flew to the Acibadem hospital in Istanbul last month to meet him and find out if she was a suitable candidate. They were told the curves in Iona’s spine had become so severe they measured 75 degrees at the top and 60 degrees at the bottom – almost too extreme for surgery.
Yvonne said: “Tests revealed just how bad her condition was, and that her lung capacity was down to 70 per cent.
“She struggled to walk any distance and had to give up her dance classes and gymnastics, the things she really lived for.
“It turned out to be more difficult than first thought as Iona’s lumbar spine was quite rigid.”
During the operation, which lasted nearly 12 hours, Iona’s spine was corrected to 20 degrees at the top and 10 degrees at the bottom.
Iona, a pupil at St Ambrose High in Coatbridge, was walking around the ward by day three.
She will start physiotherapy to strengthen her back muscles soon and can’t wait to return to dancing.
NHS National Services Scotland said: “Vertebral tethering still does not have a clear benefit over current techniques.
“Any new technique is considered by our expert service and will be offered if appropriate.
“At present, the expert service does offer a number of techniques including a rod-based straightening procedure.”
To support Iona, visit www.gofundme.com and search for Iona’s Scoliosis Surgery.