A woman who was called a “sack of potatoes” because of her condition that has caused her spine to bend 65 degrees into the shape of an “S” has revealed that she’s taken on her first ever marathon to prove trolls wrong.
When Claire Nicholson spotted that her ribcage stuck out “abnormally” compared to other people’s when she was a child and was left concerned.
The now 25-year-old was then diagnosed with scoliosis, a condition where the spine twists and curves to the side, leaving her with a “S-shaped” spine that caused difficulty with mobility.
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As her condition worsened, she had to wear a back brace for up to 23 hours a day and believed she would never be able to run again – but in a bid to prove trolls that called her a “sack of potatoes” wrong, she’s taken on mutliple marathons.
“I wanted to reinvent myself [as I got older] and become something that no one would have seen coming,” Claire, a web developer from Hertfordshire, told Need To Know.
“Running requires core strength and normally, people get that through doing sit ups or similar exercises [that I can’t do].
“My hips can get much more wear than other people, but this makes it more of an achievement.”
Claire, who was diagnosed with the condition aged 12, thought that only “old people” got back pain, but quickly realised that wasn’t the case.
Following diagnosis, she was fitted for a back brace, but as her condition rapidly declined, she then had to undergo emergency spinal fusion surgery.
She said: “The worry was that if [I didn’t] do anything surgically, and it’s already at 65 degrees, the spine could push against the lungs and heart, and make it harder to breathe.
“[It was] massively terrifying, however I could rationalise the fact these were trained people, but also had more of an understanding on the risks than maybe other people would have done.
“Until I had the X-ray, I don’t think anyone thought it was a remotely significant issue.
“At 12, it’s not what you expect [to hear].
“I was in a bubble of being a teenager and I’d never been admitted to hospital before, so everything was unfamiliar territory.
“[It felt like] a complete step off a cliff towards the complete unknown.”
After the surgery in September 2011, she had to overcome a daunting long recovery process.
Claire said: “I remember waking up and feeling like metal was strapped to my back.
“The overwhelming feeling just after the operation was a huge amount of weirdness.
“I was totally terrified.”
Determined to get better, she returned to school and since then, has gone strength to strength building up her confidence and physical ability.
On 25 February 2024, she took on the Cancer Research Winter half marathon in London and hopes sharing her story will inspire others to challenge their own limits.
She added: “This wasn’t just a thing about fixing a bone issue, I actually think that having had the op, I’m doing far more physical activity than I would have done without.
“[I] have got considerably better confidence, and have learned a completely unique, new level of self-acceptance that I just don’t think would have been possible without it.
“It’s not just scoliosis or not – it’s learning a new approach to a challenge.”
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