At Loving the Cotswolds, we chose Best friends who have suffered scoliosis to hold charity fund-raiser as part of our 101 reasons because it captures something distinctive about this much-loved part of England.
On this page we look at what makes it special, with details including Best, By David Wood Two and Faye Stanton and Lauren Oram, and a little of the context that helps you see it as more than just another stop on the map.
15/05/2015
By David Wood
Two best friends from the Cotswolds who both endured surgery to correct major curvature of their spines are organising a tea party to raise money for the national scoliosis charity.Faye Stanton and Lauren Oram, both aged 15, became good friends at Chipping Campden School before realising they both suffered from significant curvature of the spine.
In December 2013, Faye had surgery to correct a 64 degree curve of her spine and a year later Lauren had surgery to straighten the 71-degree curvature in her spine.
Faye, who lives in Offenham, near Evesham, first had symptoms of scoliosis in 2010 when her mum saw that her shoulders were winging.
By 2012 she started to get bad aches and pains in her back and it became evident that the curve in her spine was getting progressively worse and she was referred to spinal specialists in Oxford.
Faye’s operation involved the use of 16 screws and two titanium rods to correct the curvature of her spine. She received support from a girl named Georgie, who had also had the operation a couple of years before.
Faye said: “Everything was done efficiently and my family and I were all impressed about how great and quick the procedure had been.
“My surgery changed my life. I’m not in pain and I am more confident and active than before.
“Motivation is the key and if you are determined, you can do anything you dream of doing. Eighteen months ago I went on an incredible journey and now I go to the gym and do everything any regular teenager does.”
Lauren, who lives in Willersey, near Broadway, said her family had noticed her right shoulder sticking out after dance class one night.
She said: “At the time I didn’t think any of it until she made my Dad have a look and he said I should go to the doctor. The next morning we went to the local doctors and they immediately referred me to the hospital.
“I was really confused I didn’t know what was wrong. So the day after that I went to have an X-ray. I remember looking at it and seeing a little squiggle in my spine.
“At this point the curve was about 20 degrees out of place. The X-ray people told me I had scoliosis. However, I had no clue what it was. I don’t remember feeling upset or scared just happy that I’d miss some more of school. That night I went to a party and that was where I found out that Faye had scoliosis too.
“Over the next year the curvature had increased and Faye had her surgery in December 2013. I didn’t have much pain with the scoliosis apart from when I did intense exercise then it would sometimes hurt.
“Scoliosis did have an effect on my posture and it did have a psychological effect in that it knocked my self-confidence.
“After 19 months of X-rays, appointments and MRIs, I was put forward for scoliosis repair surgery. On December 10, 2014, I had two titanium rods and 14 titanium pins put in my spine to straighten the 71 degrees curvature that was in my spine.
“I remember waking up in hospital after my operation and thinking ‘yes it’s finally over’. I was in hospital for five days, off school for nearly two months and I was not able to do dance for six months.
“No one really understands what it is or what it’s like. With a broken leg people can see that you are hurt but with scoliosis you can’t see what’s going on.”
Faye added: “When it came to Lauren’s operation, yes I was nervous for her – just like I was when I had mine – although I felt that I could talk to her and reassure her that everything would be alright, just like Georgie had helped me.
“I think that when you have someone to talk to who has been through the same sort of tough time as you have, it makes you feel a little bit happier and almost lifts a whole weight off your shoulders.”
Faye and Lauren have now decided to raise money for SAUK (Scoliosis Association UK), the charity that provides information and support to anyone who is interested.
They are organising ‘A Great British tea party’ on Saturday, June 20, at Willersey Village Hall from 1pm-4pm.
“We will serve scones, tea, cake and other typical tea party pieces,” said Lauren. “There will also be various different craft stalls and classic fete games.”
The girls have a Facebook page www.facebook.com/scoliosisangels7 and a fundraising page http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/scoliosisangels7
In December 2013, Faye had surgery to correct a 64 degree curve of her spine and a year later Lauren had surgery to straighten the 71-degree curvature in her spine.
Faye, who lives in Offenham, near Evesham, first had symptoms of scoliosis in 2010 when her mum saw that her shoulders were winging.
By 2012 she started to get bad aches and pains in her back and it became evident that the curve in her spine was getting progressively worse and she was referred to spinal specialists in Oxford.
Faye’s operation involved the use of 16 screws and two titanium rods to correct the curvature of her spine. She received support from a girl named Georgie, who had also had the operation a couple of years before.
Faye said: “Everything was done efficiently and my family and I were all impressed about how great and quick the procedure had been.
“My surgery changed my life. I’m not in pain and I am more confident and active than before.
“Motivation is the key and if you are determined, you can do anything you dream of doing. Eighteen months ago I went on an incredible journey and now I go to the gym and do everything any regular teenager does.”
Lauren, who lives in Willersey, near Broadway, said her family had noticed her right shoulder sticking out after dance class one night.
She said: “At the time I didn’t think any of it until she made my Dad have a look and he said I should go to the doctor. The next morning we went to the local doctors and they immediately referred me to the hospital.
“I was really confused I didn’t know what was wrong. So the day after that I went to have an X-ray. I remember looking at it and seeing a little squiggle in my spine.
“At this point the curve was about 20 degrees out of place. The X-ray people told me I had scoliosis. However, I had no clue what it was. I don’t remember feeling upset or scared just happy that I’d miss some more of school. That night I went to a party and that was where I found out that Faye had scoliosis too.
“Over the next year the curvature had increased and Faye had her surgery in December 2013. I didn’t have much pain with the scoliosis apart from when I did intense exercise then it would sometimes hurt.
“Scoliosis did have an effect on my posture and it did have a psychological effect in that it knocked my self-confidence.
“After 19 months of X-rays, appointments and MRIs, I was put forward for scoliosis repair surgery. On December 10, 2014, I had two titanium rods and 14 titanium pins put in my spine to straighten the 71 degrees curvature that was in my spine.
“I remember waking up in hospital after my operation and thinking ‘yes it’s finally over’. I was in hospital for five days, off school for nearly two months and I was not able to do dance for six months.
“No one really understands what it is or what it’s like. With a broken leg people can see that you are hurt but with scoliosis you can’t see what’s going on.”
Faye added: “When it came to Lauren’s operation, yes I was nervous for her – just like I was when I had mine – although I felt that I could talk to her and reassure her that everything would be alright, just like Georgie had helped me.
“I think that when you have someone to talk to who has been through the same sort of tough time as you have, it makes you feel a little bit happier and almost lifts a whole weight off your shoulders.”
Faye and Lauren have now decided to raise money for SAUK (Scoliosis Association UK), the charity that provides information and support to anyone who is interested.
They are organising ‘A Great British tea party’ on Saturday, June 20, at Willersey Village Hall from 1pm-4pm.
“We will serve scones, tea, cake and other typical tea party pieces,” said Lauren. “There will also be various different craft stalls and classic fete games.”
The girls have a Facebook page www.facebook.com/scoliosisangels7 and a fundraising page http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/scoliosisangels7
