A 13-year-old scoliosis patient has undergone a long-awaited spine correction operation.
Following Megan Halvey Ryan’s operation in Crumlin Children's Hospital yesterday, her spine is now almost completely straight.
The operation took almost eight hours to complete.
Megan recovering from spine op. Surgery bigger than expected, due to waiting lists. https://t.co/hzIJ3g5hjQ pic.twitter.com/2TA1Iv22HR
— barry o'kelly (@barryokellyrte) March 24, 2017
Megan's mum Sharon told RTÉ that the surgery was significantly longer than originally planned because the curvature had increased due to the delay in receiving treatment.
"Megan required an operation on her lower back, as well as her upper back, which they had not expected because the lower curve had increased by 17 degrees since the summer," she said.
She described the operation as life-changing, saying: "It is amazing the difference. Her surgeon Pat Kiely, has done a brilliant job. We are all so pleased although Megan is in a lot of pain because it was such a big operation."
Megan, from Limerick, featured in the RTÉ Investigates - Living on the List documentary.
More than 200 children are still on the waiting list for scoliosis treatment, and Ms Halvey Ryan added: "It is absolutely inhumane that there are other children out there waiting for treatment."
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