My name is Beth McCusker and I am 23 years old from Belfast. I was born with Clubfoot (talipes) and was treated with the Ponseti method. As I grew up, I always complained of pain, clicking and clunking in my hips, this was always put down to “growing pains” until I was 18 when I found out I actually had bilateral patellofemoral dysplasia and hip dysplasia and needed Periacetabular Osteotomies to fix my hips. In July 2021 Mr Diamond performed the first of my PAO surgeries, on my right hip, and gave me some of “me” back. This surgery allowed me to live with less pain and misery and more mobility. I was the first person in Northern Ireland in 27 years to have this surgery and hopefully there are many more to come as the benefit to my quality of life has been absolutely incredible. This June, I have just had my second PAO, on my left hip, making me the first in Northern Ireland to have both hips done and I am excited for the freedom both physically and mentally that will come with it! 5 months later I am back in the gym, working on my physio daily and enjoying being me again. My quality of life is massively different to the quality of life I had when I limped into Musgrave all those years ago.
Beth’s Consultant Mr. Owen Diamond says “We are very happy to see Beth doing well so far with her treatment and recovery. It is a credit to her hard work and the multi-disciplinary team involved in her management. We are also delighted to have brought access to a young adult hip service for assent and treatment patients like Beth with Hip Dysplasia.”
Beth chose to fundraise for TORC to raise awareness and funds for much needed research in orthopaedics close to home. She would like to highlight that the impact of orthopaedic conditions is often greatly undervalued considering the immense pain, discomfort and mental exhaustion that comes with trying to find a diagnosis and then waiting on treatment so it would be absolutely fantastic to help reduce this in any way for others who are suffering with similar conditions.
