A woman was given just 24 hours to live after her severely curved spine started to crush the nerves in her backbone.
Katie Krzyzanowski was born with neurofibromatosis, which causes tumours to form on nerve endings.
This led the now 20-year-old, of Somerset, to develop scoliosis at just four years old and for her back to have a extreme 100° curve by the time she was five.
After having rods fitted to lengthen her vertebrae, Miss Krzyzanowski developed the spinal disorder kyphosis, which caused a 'hunchback', at just eight.
The treatment seemed to be working until she lost all feeling in her legs in March 2011. Medics discovered the rods had failed and her backbone was slowly crushing her spinal cord.
After defying the odds to survive, doctors gave Miss Krzyzanowski just a two per cent chance of ever walking again.
It took Miss Krzyzanowski, who has endured 20 surgeries in her life, two years of intensive rehabilitation to overcome medics' expectations yet again, with her now walking despite the pain.
Katie Krzyzanowski (left) was given just 24 hours to live after her severely-curved backbone started to crush her spinal nerves. Rods were inserted into her back (seen right) to length her spine, however, these did little to ease its 'C-shape', with her later developing a 'hunchback'
Miss Krzyzanowski is pictured in hospital after she lost feeling in her legs and kept falling. She later required surgery to fuse vertebrae in her back after the same operation had failed. Miss Krzyzanowski spent five months in hospital before finally being allowed home
Speaking of her disorder, Miss Krzyzanowski said: 'I was born with a condition called neurofibromatosis, it didn't really have any effect on me until I was four and my scoliosis was discovered.'
Neurofibromatosis affects the development of the spine by causing tumours to form on or around the backbone. Scoliosis or kyphosis occur in around one in five patients.
'By the time I was five the curve had jumped to over 100°,' Miss Krzyzanowski said.
'My first surgery at five was to fit a growth rod, which was lengthened every six months for five-to-six years.
'I had to wear a back brace 24/7 but during that time my curve began to twist outwards creating the kyphosis.
Miss Krzyzanowski later had spinal-fusion surgery, which involves 'welding' vertebrae together to create a single, solid bone. Rods are often used during the procedure to hold the spine still.
'My body just rejected the fusion and the rods they put in,' she said.
'So, a few months later they had to go back in and redo the fusion, which was supposed to be the last one for me.'
Miss Krzyzanowski still suffers from kyphosis and scoliosis despite enduring 20
