For two weeks, 14-year-old Danielle Sedgewick will be stuck, immobilised in hospital bed.
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Screws in her skull will connect to a medical 'halo' of rigid pins and bars to ensure she does not move her back after a gruelling spinal surgery. Then, she'll be back in the operating theatre.
Late last year, Danielle's PE teacher at Xavier High noticed she wasn't able to complete tasks as she should and was moving differently.
The diagnosis that came next - Idiopathic Scoliosis - was a complete shock to the teen and her mother, Kaylah Millar.
"It came on really quickly and totally wrecked her whole back, she's in a lot of pain now," Miss Millar said.
"We were hoping to just be able to put her in a back brace, but we saw the specialists and the lovely doctors and nurses at the Royal Children's Hospital want to do a double spinal surgery."
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For Danielle the double surgery, to take place at the end of the month, means two weeks in traction between surgeries and then a lengthy recovery.
For Miss Millar, a single mum, the idea of her eldest daughter in surgery and traction is horrible.
"It sounds so awful, it's really heartbreaking," she said.
Adding to Miss Millar's stress is the constantly changing border and coronavirus restrictions, and the fact her youngest daughter, Isabelle, 10, will have to stay on the border while she is in Melbourne with Danielle.
"The fact we're rural and need to travel to city and everything going on COVID at moment making things even more stressful and confusing because every day something could change," she said.
Idiopathic means there is no known cause for the condition. Miss Millar wants to raise awareness of the scoliosis so more parents get their teenagers checked.
"I want other parents to be aware of this condition, it can come on very quickly so get a pre-teen spinal check with your local GP," she said.
"It's been really awful what's happened to us so I want to create some awareness around it."
Despite the constant pain and physical limitations the disease has caused, Danielle remains positive. After the surgery she should be able to do everything she used to, pain free.
"She was determined to attend the first couple of weeks [of school]" Miss Millar said.
"There was nothing I could say to talk her out of it, she wanted to go and see her friends and teachers.
"She's really determined and has remained so happy and positive throughout it all, it's been amazing really."
Miss Millar has created a gofundme in the hopes people will support the family to help offset some of the costs incurred through travel, being off work and in Melbourne for a month.