Scoliosis is a condition where the spine twists and curves to the side. The cause of it is often unknown, and commonly starts in children aged between 10 and 15, according to the NHS., external
Eugenie was treated at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, in north London, and it was four months before she was able to return to school after it.
“I had a corner room in the hospital with two windows looking out over a car park,” the 35-year-old said. “I was too young to notice I couldn’t get outside; all I cared about was where my parents and sister were.
“But I do remember watching someone waving to my incredible red-haired nurse through the window and having this feeling that I couldn’t reach them,” she said.
“I couldn’t get out of bed or do anything for myself.”
Speaking about how she felt ahead of the operation, she said she felt “very embarrassed about the whole thing”.
“I remember being woken up really early before my surgery – I pulled my blanket over my head. I said: ‘I don’t want to see anyone and I don’t want them to see me’,” she said.
The operation left a visible scar on her back and she said her mother helped to “train” her brain to think that “scars are cool”.