A 13-YEAR-old girl with a crippling spinal condition has been commended by her school for suffering 'with a smile on her face' - despite enduring excruciating pain and corrective surgery.

Tracy Timms, of Pelton, near Chester-le-Street, has had permanent scaffolding and metal rods inserted around her spine to correct a 90 degree curve that threatened to kill her.

Before this month's surgery, the Roseberry Comprehensive School pupil had to wear a constricting hard plastic girdle 23 hours a day in a bid to stop her spine, which had twisted into a hunched position, curving further.

After 18 months of enduring the rigid body brace, doctors decided to operate on her back, inserting rods into her spine and keeping them in place with internal scaffolding.

Since the double operation two weeks ago the tenacious teenager has been walking unaided and is expected to carry on a normal life once the muscles adjust to the corrected spinal position.

Her mum, Christine Timms, of Sandyford Place, said Tracy's determination to smile through the pain has kept the whole family going.

"She was diagnosed with the condition scholiosis three years ago, which causes the spine to bend when she grows and it was threatening to force the spine into the lungs - she already has asthma so that would have been very dangerous. Doctors made her wear a special body brace for 18 months but that didn't help. It was extremely painful and her back got even worse.

"But through all that she was always smiling and cheerful - in fact she was given a special 'Against the odds' award by her school for overcoming her difficulties.

"The operations were the worst bit though. There was a risk she would be paralysed if the spinal cord was damaged, but the surgeons at Middlesbrough General Hospital did a wonderful job."

Tracy still has to wear the body brace if she goes outside to guard against knocks, but says all the discomfort has been worth it now she's on the mend.