A FAMILY need to raise more than £50,000 for life-changing surgery for their 13-year-old daughter.

Lacie Carter, from Jameson Road, Winton, suffers from scoliosis, and a GoFundMe page has been set up to raise the £55,000 needed for surgery which will straighten her spine.

Lacie’s father, Mitchell, said: “We noticed back in February that her hips were uneven.

“We went and saw a nurse who said it’s part of her and we don’t need to worry about it, it is a normal thing for her.

“Then in July, Lacie was in a bikini, we noticed a hump on her back, we went back to the doctors who said it was scoliosis.

“Fast forward a couple more weeks, we were sent to Southampton General who x-rayed her and said the only operation they could do would fuse her spine which would leave her with next to no mobility.”

The Carter family, Mitchell, mum Laura-Lee, Lacie, Bella and Harley, found another operation called vertebral body tethering (VBT) which isn’t available on the NHS.

They found doctors in Germany and Turkey who could perform the surgery, but it would cost more than £50,000.

Mitchell continued: “After her diagnoses, she was having quite a few issues with anxiety, we couldn’t get her into schools.

“We took the decision to home school her just for her own mental health.

“The pain is getting worse for her on a daily basis, if we don’t get the surgery it will go downhill.

“She has been dancing since she was four years old and now she has pretty much stopped.”

X-rays on Lacie’s spine showed a double S curve and fusing the spine would put metal rods in her spine, leaving her “upright”.

With the VBT, she will have more movement and Mitchell said she’ll be able to carry on with things she loves, like dancing.

He added: “It is one of the hardest things we have had to deal with. It is the simple fact she is so upset and not the happy go lucky girl who would do anything for anyone.”

Within 12 hours of the fundraiser being live, more than £1,400 was raised for the family.

“(If we hit the target) it would mean everything. If she can get the surgery it will be life-changing,” Mitchell added.

“The community has been fantastic.”

To donate, visit gofundme.com and search ‘Lacie’s scoliosis journey’.