Teenage singer finds her voice again after treatment stops curved spine from crushing her lungs
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A promising teenage pop singer has re-found her voice after she recovered from a spine curvature that was crushing her lungs.
Polly Money, 15, started recording her first album at 13 and has always dreamed of becoming a professional singer.
But 18 months ago the teenager from Cornwall was struck down by scoliosis, which caused her back to bend into a 40-degree 'hunchback' S-shaped curve.
Polly Money, 15, loves to make music and was worried surgery to correct the curve in her spine could affect her voice
It left her unable to sing as her internal organs started to be crushed by the strain and could have been fatal if left untreated.
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ShareDoctors warned Polly - who attends £28,000-per-year Millfield School in Somerset - that she would need major surgery to fuse her spine into the correct position.
But she was worried complications could leave her unable to sing so she opted for an intensive program of physiotherapy.
By training for 45 minutes a day, Polly has made a good recovery and has now returned to her singing lessons.
She said: 'I am now in control of my body; I know what's good for my back and what's not. I love singing and sports, in fact I love life.
'I hope to be a recording artist and I really do believe that this is possible now, especially after what I have achieved.
'Anyone can achieve anything if they put their heart and soul into it.'
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A collect photo showing Polly Money before (left) and after treatment to correct a curvature of the spine
Polly's voice first began to deteriorate 18 months ago when she became short of breath and could not hold her notes.
Her mother Jan, a masseur, took her to their GP six months ago when her conditioned worsened and she was diagnosed with scoliosis.
She visited a specialist at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in London weeks later and was put on the waiting list for surgery the next day.
Polly had a 40-degree ''hunchback'' S-shaped curve - known as scoliosis
But Polly was desperate to avoid surgery as surgeons would have had to puncture her lung and she feared she would not be able to sing as strongly.
Mother-of-four Jan enrolled Polly on a four-week treatment programme at the Scoliosis SOS centre in September this year. She now does 45 minutes of exercises each evening to keep her back in the correct shape.
Mrs Money said she believes her daughter is now ready to take the charts by storm.
She said: 'Polly had always had a fantastic voice and the personality to go with it.
'When she was diagnosed with scoliosis, she lost a great deal of that confidence and her passion for life, now, finally, after a roller coaster ride I can finally say I have my bright, happy go lucky daughter back.'
However, a spokesman from the Scoliosis Association (UK) told Mail Online: 'The scientific evidence that extensive exercise "cures" scoliosis is sparse.
'In mild curvatures, intensive exercise can improve posture, muscle strength (thereby supporting the spine more efficiently), flexibility, and appearance, but there is no long-term evidence that it will ultimately prevent the progression of a curve.'
Polly, of Falmouth, Cornwall, began recording tracks for her debut album aged just 13.
Her 11-track album 'Along Came Polly' was released last year and Polly has since taken part in a number of 'Live and Unsigned' concerts. She also has a video channel on YouTube.
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