Kim Hughes-Tardiff says she can’t work or travel and lives in chronic pain because of her scoliosis. She’s been on a wait-list for surgery since 2017.
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Surgery Waits
Kim Hughes-Tardiff of Manitoba was diagnosed with a double scoliosis curve as a child. She had one surgery at 14 years of age and wore a body cast for a decade.
Today, she walks with a cane to the end of her driveway.
“I’m almost ready to give up,” she says, saying simple tasks have become a challenge.
“I am in pain every day; that’s why I had to go off work. I can sit for certain periods. I can’t stand, I can’t walk even half a block without pain.”
The hope was that her lower spinal curve wouldn’t get worse, but she says it has.
She’s been off work since 2014. She was able to see a surgeon two years later, who said she would need surgery.
Hughes-Tardiff has now been waiting eight years for that much-needed surgery.
Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said Tuesday that an eight-year wait for surgery is unacceptable and their office has since reached out to Hughes-Tardiff regarding her situation.
Watch more in the video above.
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