Our Cartridge People: Introducing… Louise Laurie

Louise Laurie, Marketing Manager at Cartridge People, will be taking part in two huge challenges to help raise awareness and money for the Scoliosis Campaign Fund charity.

The Scoliosis Campaign Fund supports people affected by scoliosis, a curvature of the spine. Louise was diagnosed with scoliosis at 14 and had major spinal surgery in 2010 to correct two large spinal curvatures.

To celebrate 10 years since her surgery, Louise will be taking part in the Manchester Marathon and a 10-day trek to Machu Picchu in October.

You can read her story below:

Scoliosis and Me: 10 Years On

This year marks 10 years since I had life-changing surgery on my spine to correct severe scoliosis.

I had scoliosis surgery on July 29th 2010. I’m fused T3 to L3, which basically means that pretty much my whole spine is fused apart from 3 discs at the bottom. You can see my x-rays and scar on the photographs below.

Following my surgery, it took me over a year to fully recover and I had to learn the basics again such as walking and getting out of bed. It was a very painful and long recovery. I couldn’t even sit up or get in the shower by myself for some time.

Today, I still get pain, my breathing is affected and I have numbness and nerve issues but my quality of life is so much better than before I had the surgery. Going through something like this makes you really appreciate life and I still find it hard to believe all the things I can do now, it’s truly amazing what the human body is capable of.

To celebrate 10 years with a titanium spine, I have decided to push myself further than I have before by running an actual marathon in April – Manchester Marathon 2020!

Then in October, I plan to take on a 10-day trek to Machu Picchu, which is something I’ve really wanted to do for a while now. I’ll be posting updates on my training over on my Instagram and blog, so be sure to follow me and keep updated.

The Trek to Machu Picchu is graded as tough and will involve:

• Trekking an average of 8 hours a day
• Trekking at high altitude
• The maximum altitude reached is 4600m above sea level
• Trekking through remote areas where facilities are basic

My aim with these challenges is to push myself and inspire others with scoliosis but also to raise awareness of the condition, as although very common, it is still relatively unknown.

I couldn’t have done all this without the support of my family, friends and the company I work for (Cartridge People).

I really need your support in raising as much money and awareness as possible. All money donated will go towards the Scoliosis Campaign Fund.

Scoliosis Campaign Fund raises money to support people with scoliosis and their families, and fund research into finding the causes of scoliosis and treatments to improve quality of life for patients.

Scoliosis Campaign Fund was launched in November 2007, and is a joint fundraising venture between British Scoliosis Research Foundation, who fund research into the causes and treatment of scoliosis and Scoliosis Association (UK), a patient support charity. The two organisations have worked closely for several years and became officially affiliated in November, 2006. All money raised from the activities is divided equally between the two charities.

There is still little knowledge or understanding of scoliosis, which can make it difficult for people to access the care and information that they need, and can leave them feeling isolated and unsure where to turn.

Scoliosis Campaign Fund allows SAUK to continue its work supporting people with scoliosis and their families so that no-one has to go through scoliosis alone.

If you would like to sponsor me for these challenges, you can do so on this link below, any amount large or small is hugely appreciated!

Click here to sponsor Louise.

I would also love it if you could share my sponsor page on your own social media pages, blogs or with family and friends to try and get the message out there and raise as much awareness as possible! Thanks in advance for your support!