Coronavirus: Spondon girl's US spinal surgery halted due to pandemic

Katie HellenHellen family

Katie Hellen wanted to have surgery before September when she starts secondary school

An 11-year-old girl has been unable to fly to the US for spinal surgery to help correct her "painful" scoliosis due to coronavirus.

Katie Hellen, from Spondon, Derbyshire, was due to be in Philadelphia for the operation, but restrictions caused by the virus have halted plans.

The family raised money for Katie to travel to the US for a procedure unavailable on the NHS.

Her mother Kelly said the delay in surgery was "frustrating".

The specific technique, known as "vertebral body tethering", is not currently available on the NHS.

The operation should have happened by now but US border restrictions put paid to the plan.

"We can't get permission to go," said Ms Hellen. "We've contacted the embassy and they've given us a 'no'.

"It's really frustrating because we were so close to going on 4 May.

"I wanted [Katie] to be [at secondary school] at the same time as her friends, right at the beginning, rather than starting and having six weeks out and missing so much school."

Hellen family

Katie Hellen's x-ray shows the curvature of her spine

Katie said: "Scoliosis is painful sometimes but ok most of the time...

"I feel alright as I know [the surgery is] going to get done at some point but I feel nervous it's not going to happen in time [for school]."

The family are now trying to raise £50,000 to have the treatment done elsewhere.

Kelly Hellen (left) said the family are raising money for the operation closer to home

The US extended its European coronavirus travel ban to include the UK in mid-March while the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office advised against all but essential international travel.

Scoliosis Association UK (SAUK) said the procedure had briefly been available on the NHS in 2017 but funding was withdrawn.

It added: "Careful evaluation of the short and the long-term outcome of VBT should be a priority for research, as should the feasibility of expanding the use of the technique to a wider spectrum of children."

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