THE father of a teenager who braved five-hour spinal surgery is to take part in The Oxford Mail’s OX5 run for the hospital that treated her.

Nick East has signed up to the five-mile run, in the grounds of Blenheim Palace, on Sunday March 30 for Oxford Children’s Hospital.

Kidlington’s Rosie East, 13, was diagnosed with scoliosis – curvature of the spine – in April last year.

But after an operation at the Headington hospital on November 13 she is now four centimetres taller and catching up with sister Megan, 16.

The Gosford Hill School, Kidlington pupil had a titanium rod fitted into her back which was screwed to her spine to straighten her back.

Rosie said: “I was really nervous. I am really quite a worrier. But when I got into the anaesthetics room the nurses and doctors calmed me down.

“Walking again was tough to begin with but you have got to push through the pain.

“The staff were nice, I’m really happy I did it.”

Mum Sam East, 44, stayed with Rosie all the time that she was in the high dependency unit and in Mel’s ward.

The annual run is the hospital’s biggest annual charity fundraiser which last year raised £98,000.

Mr East, 43, of Chorefields, said: “We are in indebted to the hospital because of the fantastic care she has had, and I hope other people will join up to give a little bit of their time too.

“Rosie is recovering well, which is the inspiration for it.

“She’s almost as tall as her older sister now.

“But if she didn’t have the operation, the curvature of her spine would have got worse.

“Not having it would have been pretty horrendous. She would have been hunched up and bent over and it could have crushed her lungs.”

Mrs East first noticed the curvature on holiday in Lanzarote in April last year and it was diagnosed that month.

Rosie started back to school part time last week and is looking forward to playing her saxophone again.

The OX5 Run, organised by the Oxford Mail and sponsored by Allen Associates, is now in its 12th year.

The 10.30am run costs £10 to enter and runners are asked to aim to raise £100 or more.

  • To enter of for more information go to oxfordmail.co.uk/ox5run