Hugs on hold for Harriet

A school girl celebrated her tenth birthday on Monday with the promise of a big hug for her mum as soon as she is fully recovered from a serious operation and released from her restricting neck brace.

Harriet Anderson has to wear a halo brace to hold her head straight after having an operation to correct two medical problems that caused her head to tilt to one side.

Harriet, of Mount Road, Balderton, suffers from both Klippel-Feil syndrome, where vertebrae in her neck fused together, and Sprengel’s deformity, where a bone in one of her shoulders sits higher than the other.

Doctors at the Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham, performed an operation in April to remove discs between the vertebrae in Harriet’s neck and then fitted her with the brace to hold her head upright.

Harriet said: “I’m missing my bath, hugs and kisses because my mum can’t get close enough because the brace is in the way.

“I used to go on my bike, but I can’t do that now, and I’m missing my friends at school.”

The brace, which she has been wearing for two months and will be removed in July, consists of a metal ring which is fitted to the skull using pins, a plastic vest and four metal rods.

The rods are attached to the vest and the metal ring and prevents the head from moving.

Harriet, a pupil at John Hunt Junior School, Balderton, marked her birthday with a trip to the family’s caravan at Mablethorpe with her mother, Mrs Jayne Anderson (47) and father, Mr Mick Anderson (44) at the weekend before returning to Newark on Monday to celebrate with school friends.

Harriet cannot have a bath because of the special vest she wears and cannot take off.

Harriet said: “When I have the brace removed the first thing I’m going to do is have a really nice bubble bath.”

Her mum said: “I must say Harriet’s been really really brave.

“She found it hard to start with when people were staring at her when she went out, but she doesn’t mind any more. It’s something you don’t see often so obviously people are curious.

“She can’t have a bath so I have to wash her and she has to have her hair washed at the hospital.”

For Harriet, an Advertiser 2004 Child of Courage and Junior Advertiser member, the worst part of wearing the brace was having the pins in her head tightened once a fortnight at the hospital.

She said: “They bring in the big tool box and they loosen the bolts and tighten them again. I hate that, but I love having my hair washed because they give me a head massage.”

But she said she was very grateful to all the staff at the Queen’s Medical Centre.

Mrs Anderson said Harriet, who should return to school in September, might have to wear a neck brace for a short time after the halo brace is removed to allow the muscles in her neck to strengthen. She may also have to have an operation to straighten her neck some more.

Meanwhile, Harriet’s older brother Richard Key (24) will be getting married on July 26, the week after she has the brace removed, and she is looking forward to being a bridesmaid at his wedding.