A fitness instructor with scoliosis is turning to a unique back tattoo in hopes of deterring the bullying she faces due to her condition.
Laura Ellis, 37, from Cirencester, Gloucestershire, has faced unwanted attention, including pointing, staring, and laughter from strangers. She experiences “constant toothache” and muscle spasms and wants to live life fully before possibly becoming a permanent wheelchair user.
“It’s not just a tattoo; it’s something that might actually make my life a little easier,” Ellis said.
The tattoo, designed by Nick Ferris of Strange Ways Tattoo in Swindon, Wiltshire, was funded by a £500 fundraiser. Though incomplete, it depicts the curvature of her spine along with the metalwork, including bolts and a rod, inserted into her bones.
Ellis hopes that the visual representation of her scoliosis will help “stop the bullying,” commenting: “When I first saw it, I thought, ‘It’s perfect’. I wasn’t expecting anything from the fundraiser, but since it’s such a personal thing, I thought that somebody might understand why I’m doing it.”
Her scoliosis became apparent at age 11 during a holiday in Majorca, when her parents noticed she couldn’t stand up straight. After returning to the UK, she discovered her thoracic spine had collapsed.
At 12, Ellis underwent a nine-hour surgery at John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, which involved “shaving” her right ribcage and inserting a metal rod and seven bolts. “My right ribcage basically ended up on my back, which is where the staring comes from,” she explained. The surgery was critical; without it, she might not have survived.
Post-surgery, Ellis wore a back brace and initially saw improvement. However, by age 19, she noticed changes in the shape of her lower torso and realized her lumbar spine was collapsing as well. The effects of her scoliosis became more visible in her 20s, with her stomach protruding due to spinal rotation.
Ellis recounted a troubling incident during a trip to Turkey with her mother, where she was laughed at by a group of women. She decided against further surgery due to the high risk of paralysis and said that while she tries not to get angry, people’s reactions have deeply affected her, leading to feelings of low self-esteem.
Her condition has worsened, with her spine collapsing above and below the metalwork. Ellis endures daily “constant toothache” pain, and her right arm and leg are three inches longer than her left. She also suffers from severe muscle spasms and struggles to maintain any one position for too long.
“It’s never going to get any better, it’s only going to keep progressing,” Ellis said. “Through my 30s, I’m now the worst I’ve ever been. One day, my life won’t be the same, I won’t be able to walk, so while I can do all that I do, I’m just going to make the most of it. When all is said and done and I’m in my wheelchair – which is where I’ll end up and I’ve come to terms with that – I want to be able to sit wherever I am and smile at all the memories.”
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