Schoolgirl's 'dreams shattered in front of her eyes'

A schoolgirl had her dreams shattered after she was diagnosed with a rare condition.

Niamh Russell, 11, from Walton, has danced since the age of three, but all her dreams of becoming a professional dancer came crashing down when she was diagnosed with severe scoliosis, just last month.

The rare diagnosis means the schoolgirl suffers from curvature of the spine, which affects just 3% of girls aged between ten and 13. Niamh has a double curvature, meaning the top of her spine is 42% curved and the bottom is 38%.

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Her dance teacher and owner of her dance school, Funky Feet, Helen Jones, 44, told the ECHO: "She has been dancing at the school since she was three, she has never missed a class, that is how committed she is.

"It has always been her dream to be a dancer, she was born to be on the stage. She draws people in when she is dancing, everyone knows her, she is so recognised in the dance world.

"People always stop me and tell me how amazing she is. She captivates you when she is dancing.

"She is the most amazing student, her work ethic is through the roof. She has never given me anything less than 100%, she is a dream to teach.

"She trains five times a week and she is one of our elite competitors, [she has] won many titles and competitions, she is an incredible dancer and her dream is to become a professional dancer."

It was during costume fittings for an upcoming competition when Helen first noticed that something wrong. She said: "It was January when she tried a costume on and I noticed her shoulder blades were off.

"Then in a class a few days later I noticed one side of her back seemed raised, I just thought it was muscular and told her mum, Rachel - she made a doctors appointment immediately."

Niamh's mum, Rachel McNally, 36, took her daughter straight to the doctors, who then referred the 11-year-old to Alder Hey Children's Hospital. Rachel said: "She went to Alder Hey and it was last week that they confirmed her diagnosis, which is severe scoliosis. It means she has two curved in her back.

"Within the space of ten minutes she was told that she would need surgery, and that would mean she would need to learn to walk again. We were told some scary things, we we're told she might not be able to dance again."

When they were told the news, Rachel says her daughter was completely "heartbroken." She said: "Her dreams were shattered in front of her eyes, she was completely heartbroken.

"It massively effected her, when we were getting told she couldn't dance, then about the operation, the major risks within surgery, and never be able to dance the same; the thought of her not being able to dance. She lives for dance, she gives her heart and soul to it. It would affect her mental health 100%.

"As a mum it was heartbreaking to hear. I was trying to stay strong for Niamh, but seeing her so upset was heartbreaking. She loves dancing - this was one of the worst things that could have been said to her and told to us."

Niamh was told she would need to wear a Boston Brace to prevent her spine from getting any worse and surgery would be paramount to fix it, says her mum. However, Rachel was not going to let her daughter's dreams be shattered.

She set out on a researching mission to find an alternative fix, and found a private company in London who offered a specially made brace that would fix her daughter's spine - but it comes with a price.

Rachel added: "The most important thing for us was to find a treatment that means she can still dance, with this she is told there will be no limits with her dancing and that she just needs to wear the brace 22-hours a day.

"The condition only affects 3% of girls between 10 and 13, it means her body is growing at different rates and that is what is causing the curves, it's very rare and won't stop until she stops growing.

"Thankfully, we were told that dancing has probably helped prevent her condition get anymore. We were told because of the flexibility it has helped her spine. When we were getting the scan done he said he couldn't believe the scan was Niamh's. Because of her fitness her muscles hold her spine in place, so it could be a lot worse if she wasn't as physically fit as she is."

Niamh starts her treatment to fix her spine in London this month and the family have launched a fundraiser to help cover the costs of her recovery. You can donate to the GoFundMe for Niamh here.

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