Woman defies spinal condition to become paramedic

Phoebe Grace said she was living her dream by becoming a paramedic in Essex

A young woman who defied her spinal condition to become a paramedic says she hopes her life-changing journey will inspire others.

Phoebe Grace was diagnosed with scoliosis - a sideways curvature of the spine - aged 15, and needed two titanium rods to stabilise her back.

Despite concern from her family, she pursued a career in the NHS and qualified as a paramedic in early 2025, based in Southend-on-Sea.

The 26-year-old said: "This job has become a dream for me and I want to push even further, as far as I can go."

She was initially treated with a spinal brace worn 23 hours a day for a year, leaving her in constant discomfort.

But the brace was not enough to slow the progression of the curve, which threatened to compress her organs and reduce lung capacity.

"It got to the point where it was advancing and advancing and kept getting worse," Ms Grace told BBC Essex presenter Ben Fryer.

"Then surgery was on the table and that's when it started to get scary."

Ms Grace was 2in taller after surgery corrected her spine

Ms Grace underwent a six-hour spinal fusion surgery two weeks after completing her GCSEs.

Surgeons fused her spine from just below her collarbones to her lower back and used titanium rods to stabilise her new structure.

It left her unable to bend her spine and only able to hinge at the hips - but it also made her 2in taller.

"Before my surgery I was dancing and I was very hypermobile, so it was a very big change for me," Ms Grace said.

Inspired by the care she received, the patient applied to work in the NHS and took jobs in cardiology and then at a hospital emergency department.

"I saw all the crews coming in and out of the emergency department and that's where I wanted to be.

"I wanted to be out on the road and work how they work because their stories amaze me."

Ms Grace's mother was the first to spot her spine may be curved as a child

Ms Grace, who had previously been a competitive swimmer, adapted her lifestyle and took up weightlifting to strengthen her recovery.

She achieved her dream in April, when the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust offered her a job at its base in Southend-on-Sea.

"I was always discouraged from pushing myself too much in sport and in my work and in doing overactive jobs, because there's only so much your body can take," she said.

"But through me pushing through sport, through my job, I'm so happy and my body is dealing with everything better.

"There's a lot of limitations you do have, but they haven't stopped me."