A teenager who underwent a major operation to straighten her spine opted for a backless dress to display her scar with pride at her high school prom.
Phoebe Tyrell, from Harrogate, North Yorkshire, was diagnosed with Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis, a condition characterised by curvature of the spine when she was 14.
After having major surgery in September 2015 she was left with a scar.
Despite her fears, Phoebe was encouraged by friends to show off her scar in a black backless gown for the celebration, and she looked incredible.
“My prom was amazing it was such a great way to end the year, especially after two months of exams,” she said.
“My friends did want me to wear a backless dress, they’ve all been so supportive and are all proud of me so it was lovely to see that they wanted me to show off my scar.
Phoebe’s mum, Laura, an office manager, said that Phoebe was very courageous at the time when she was diagnosed and she only had six weeks off from school.
“We were all very worried but she was absolutely fine,” she said.
“At the time I didn’t know if it was because she didn’t realise the gravity of the operation but she breezed through it.
“She was in hospital for a week and had six weeks off school.
“Phoebe was on quite serious pain medication but when she came home she wasn’t in pain.
“The biggest thing for her was nausea from the anesthetics, which isn’t much really when you think of what she went through.
“The scar is right on her spine and the bumpiness of the spine hides it, it has healed beautifully and that healing will continue.”
Laura, was also very touched by Phoebe’s friends encouraging her to embrace her scar for the prom.
“I think it was her friends that pushed her in the direction of the backless dress, I was very touched by that and thought it was so lovely,” said the mum.
“The build up to the prom was all-consuming, the dress, the makeup, the tan, I couldn’t even tell you. She had such a lovely evening.”
And Laura couldn’t praise the work of Nuffield Health Hospital in Leeds, West Yorkshire, enough in how they dealt with Phoebe.
“The fix was instant and her spine was straightened straight after surgery,” she said.
“I can’t praise the surgeons enough, they were amazing and they made such a big effort that Phoebe had the same people looking after her all the time.
“That allowed her to have continuity and build up relationships because she was in a very vulnerable position, the surgeons and nurses were so lovely.”
Two years on from the surgery and Phoebe has learned to love her scar.
“I’m now two years post surgery and I couldn’t be happier with how it went, you wouldn’t be able to tell I had anything wrong in the first place and I’m always told my scar is barely noticeable,” she said.
“My clothes fit better and I feel so much more confident.”