A five-year old girl has had pioneering surgery to repair a large gap in her spine using bone taken from her legs. Before the operation, Rosie Davies, from Walsall in the West Midlands of the U.K., was “basically a time bomb,” her family said. Missing bones in her spine meant her upper body weight was unsupported and her inner organs were being crushed. The lifesaving surgery came at the cost of her lower legs, which she never has been able to move.

Rosie was born with a rare disorder called spinal segmental dysgenesis. Five bones that made up part of her spine were missing, leaving a 10-cm gap in her backbone. Her legs also were contorted up against her belly, and she had very little feeling in them. Rosie was slowly running out of space in her chest — and running out of time. Eventually, the internal crush would have led to her organs failing, which would have killed her. For more information, click here to read the full article.