Irish mother 'terrified' for daughter's future as she waits for urgent scoliosis treatment

A Kilkenny mother says she is ‘terrified’ for her five-year-old daughter’s future after being told the child may have to wait up to a year for an MRI scan, despite suffering daily headaches and migraines caused by scoliosis.

Carolann Walsh knows only too well what long delays can mean. In 2009, as a teenager, she was featured in the Kilkenny People when cutbacks delayed her planned spinal fusion surgery. At the time, she couldn’t even get an X-ray.

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“It took media attention and a huge public outcry before I finally got my surgery date,” she said. “That was September 2009, and it changed my life. But now, 16 years later, I’m fighting the exact same fight. This time for my own child.”

Carolann’s daughter was recently diagnosed with scoliosis, a condition where the spine curves abnormally.

In her case, pressure on the spine is causing persistent headaches, sometimes escalating into migraines.

The family has been told it will be eight months to a year before she can have the MRI scan needed to guide treatment.

“I am terrified for her future,” said Ms Walsh. “I’ve lived this. I know what untreated scoliosis can do.”

“I’ve already got one child with generalised epilepsy, another with sensory issues, and now my middle child is facing what I went through.

“How can it be that nothing has changed after all these years?”

She is now calling for urgent action to address the growing backlog of children waiting for spinal assessments and treatment.

“No child should have to wait in pain,” she said. “No parent should have to beg the system for care. If the health service could find a way in 2009, it can find a way now.”

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Earlier this week, the mother of a young boy with scoliosis who was failed by the Irish healthcare system has called for the resignation of Simon Harris who was the Minister for Health at the time.

Harvey Morrison Sherratt (9) waited seven years for scoliosis surgery, and by the time of the surgery at the end of 2024, his curvature had reached 130 degrees. He sadly passed away on July 29 after a short illness.

Last August, Harvey's mother, Gillian Sherratt said that her son was removed from the scoliosis surgery waiting list without their knowledge. 

When Harvey died on July 29 his heartbroken parents Gillian and Stephen announced Harvey's death saying "our little rockstar Harvey passed away in the arms of mum and dad." 

They now call for the resignation of Simon Harris and for the board of Children's Health Ireland to be disbanded.

Scoliosis affects approximately 2–4 per cent of adolescents globally, with the condition most commonly developing between ages 10 and 18.

In milder cases, intervention may not be needed, but more severe onset may require bracing, specialist monitoring, or surgery.

In Ireland, the situation is increasingly alarming. As of September  2024, 264 children were waiting for scoliosis surgery at Children’s Health Ireland (CHI).

Back in March, Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill warned that the country is “nowhere near” delivering timely and comprehensive care for young scoliosis patients.

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MRI and other diagnostic backlogs are widespread. National standards suggest clinically urgent scans should occur within one month, and routine scans within three.

However, on-the-ground delays, especially for spinal MRIs, far exceed those guidelines.

As a result, families are seeing worsening conditions while waiting, and advocacy groups continue to highlight the urgent need for reform and investment.

For parents like Carolann, each month of waiting is not just a delay on a medical list, but a daily reminder that their child’s future mobility and quality of life hang in the balance.