‘I might not have made it to Bake Off if I didn't have scoliosis'
Alice Fevronia sprung to stardom in 2019 as a charming contestant on the Great British Bake Off, where she advanced to the final only to be narrowly out-baked by David Atherton. Unlike many Bake Off elites who attribute their culinary flair to family, Alice's baking prowess was actually triggered when she was recovering from life-changing spinal surgery.
For Scoliosis Awareness Month, Alice opened up to Reach: 'I always loved baking but perhaps I would have let go of it as a hobby as I got older. School, exams and university then sort of took over. It's quite strange to think that if I hadn't had my surgery then maybe I would never have been on Bake Off!'
Alice was the first to realise something was wrong when she was a young teen: "I began to notice I looked a little uneven and that my clothes didn't sit the way I wanted them to." But she only told her mum when she thought she had found a lump on her back.
This quickly led to a GP appointment where her 'lump' was diagnosed as a rib hump, a tell-tale sign of scoliosis. The condition twisted Alice's spine into an S-shape, the more severe curve residing in her lumbar spine.
Alice continued: "It was a bit of a complicated journey trying to get the right help." Going from her GP to an orthopaedic expert, to physiotherapy, and finally consulting with a scoliosis specialist, Alice was told: "The only way to treat it at this stage would be surgery."
At just 15, she found herself on the operating table to get a set of metal rods to straighten her lumbar curve. During the gruelling recovery period, amid learning to walk, Alice found a renewed passion for baking.
She explained: "I had always baked as a child, my Grandma was an amazing baker so I was inspired by her, and I loved arty and creative things. But as a teenager I got really into sport, I didn't really have that much time for baking."
'After my surgery, obviously sport went out the window so I really leaned on being creative to get me through. Baking is also quite therapeutic as a whole (although maybe not when you're baking in a big white tent) so it was something I could focus on. I also completely lost my appetite after my surgery and lost a lot of weight, so it helped to focus on food.'
But baking did not solve all of her problems at the time: 'I spent years following the surgery hating what I saw in the mirror. I thought the surgery would magically fix everything, so I struggled with still having uneven ribs and a slight curve. I also hated my scar. But as I got older I just got over it and realised that it doesn't really matter as long as I'm healthy, and I can't change it, so there's no point stressing.
'Nowadays there's very little that I can't do because of my spine. I don't think you would really notice I have scoliosis now unless you saw my scar, or knew what you were looking for.'
In hindsight, Alice believes her scoliosis "must have been quite obvious" but her family simply did not know what to look for. This is the key message behind this year's SSR awareness campaign, which promotes the ABCD method of checking for scoliosis.
Alice added: "I wish that more people knew how to spot the early signs. If I had heard about it as a child, maybe I could have asked for help earlier."
The Bake Off celebrity, who is also gearing up for the charity's sold out event in London this weekend, reflects on two decades since her surgery and shares four crucial tips for those facing a similar journey:
'Speak to other people who have been through the same thing. Don't be afraid to reach out to SSR for support, and ask as many questions as you can.
'Get all the facts about what will happen after the surgery. I didn't know I would be wearing such a huge back brace and it took me a while to get used to the idea (and to find clothes that fit).
'Plan small, achievable things to look forward to in the first few weeks after your surgery; movie nights, friends coming to visit, or things to bake or cook.
'Try not to see it as something that is stopping you from doing things, rather use it as a way to find new things you enjoy. You might not be able to do sport, but maybe this is the time to learn the piano, or start baking!'
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