A Dublin woman with severe scoliosis completed a 200km ultra marathon over the weekend.
Ava Butterly from Rush, North Dublin, was diagnosed with the spinal condition as a child and underwent multiple surgeries to straighten out the curve in her spine.
However, the 30-year-old refuses to let the condition define her as she completed the Kerry Way Ultra marathon on Friday.
The 200km, non-stop endurance race along the Kerry Way is a key event in the county, with competitors given a maximum of 40 hours to complete the challenge.
Ava revealed she was diagnosed with the disease at age 12 after a teacher noticed something was wrong with her posture.
“A teacher noticed in a school photo that my shoulders were slumping to one side so my mother brought me to a chiropractor to see what was going on.
“Then she had a look at my back and she diagnosed me with scoliosis,” she explained.
Ava found out she had a severe curve in her spine in two places and was going to need spinal fusion surgery to help straighten it out.
She underwent the life-changing surgery at age 13 but developed an infection afterwards, requiring further surgery to remove the rods holding her spine in place.
“I still have severe scoliosis if you were to look at me. The operation didn’t fully straighten my spine as I had such a severe curve.
“Cosmetically I still have a big scar on my back and rib rotation so I still have all the signs of scoliosis but I’m pretty medically safe,” she said.
Ava said she began strengthening and conditioning at age 18, which she credited with helping her complete the marathon.
“I'm a big lover of the outdoors and nature, so the ultra marathon kinda seemed like a really cool way that I could explore my surroundings on foot.
“I have also hiked for a number of years and absolutely love that and so the next step up was trail running,” she said.
The Dublin woman hopes her story can raise awareness and give hope to others suffering from the same condition.
“I know there's a lot of people in this country who have scoliosis and I think a lot of them feel very hopeless and that their life is over because they have this condition.
“I want to show them that your life is not over and there’s a lot you can still do and you can still have a really fulfilling life despite having a spinal condition,” she added.
