Kira’s spine was so badly bent she had trouble breathing, but doctors in her home country, Russia, had no solutions. Then she met some of the people behind Project Nadezhda, an organisation in Brisbane that helps disabled Russian children and adults get life-changing treatment not available in their own country.
Until that meeting in Moscow in 2003, Kira, who has the muscle weakness disorder spinal muscular atrophy, was unaware that help was available for this condition. Her scoliosis was so severe that her ribcage touched her pelvis, making even sitting in her wheelchair difficult.
But Kira, a data-entry worker, said she was looking forward to a new life after spine-straightening surgery at the Mater Private Hospital. “I know I will never walk again but everything is different now,” she said through an interpreter.
“Before, everything was a problem, to breathe was a problem. It’s amazing not to have a very high heartbeat and shortness of breath.” She said the operation, performed by Brisbane spine surgeon Geoff Askin, had boosted her self-confidence.
“I’ve always looked at life positively,” she said. “I’ve been brought up to believe I’m a person, no matter how many limitations I have. But I feel better in myself now and in my ability to achieve in life.”
Dr Askin said he had rarely seen scoliosis as severe as Kira's. “We have the resources and facilities here to treat them much earlier,” he added.
Two special spinal tables have been purchased, with the assistance of the Mater Foundation, for use by the orthopaedic and neurosurgeons of both the Mater Private Hospital and the Mater Children’s Hospital to enable this type of surgery to be performed.
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