A SOUTHAMPTON surgeon who dared to do what others deemed too dangerous has transformed the life of a teenager who feared she had no future to look forward to.

Despite being an operation which came with “as high a risk as you can get” Evan Davies believed he could help to straighten the extraordinary curve in Mili Wood’s spine and end her life of agonising pain.

There was a 20 per cent risk of paralysis, but the consultant from Southampton General Hospital successfully performed the risky operation and now the 17-year-old has made an incredible recovery.

She said: “The minute I heard about Evan Davies, I knew he was my last hope.

“This operation has changed my life forever.”

Mili was diagnosed with severe scoliosis of the spine and developed a mystery lump on her back at the age of two.

Her family watched helplessly as the curve in her spine developed from 22 degrees to a shocking 86 degree bend – despite efforts to correct it by wearing restrictive plaster and plastic jackets until she was five.

One consultant branded it the worst case of deformity they had ever seen.

Soon the agony became unbearable for the youngster, who could no longer walk up stairs and missed three years of school.

Yet three hospitals refused to carry out the complicated operation to correct her spine because of the high risk of paralysis or death.

But Mili’s parents, Julie and Brian, refused to give up hope and after trawling the Internet they enlisted the help of Evan Davies, who told them he could help her.

Mrs Wood, 43, said: “I could’ve hugged him with happiness. To know someone was finally going to try to help meant so much to us all.

“Mili had been through hell. She’d been bullied and endured the most terrible pain – but no one would operate.”

The ten-hour operation took place in April, when Mr Davies removed the damaged sections of the front and back of her spine and was able to remove the unsightly hump from her back.

Mr Davies said: “When I was approached by Mili’s family, two things came to mind.

“The first was how tragic it was that Mili had suffered for so long.

“The second was the risk – as an operation like this carries about as high a risk as you can get.

“We basically have to break the spine and straighten it to where it should be.

“There is always a concern about paralysis, but Mili’s surgery went fantastically.”

Mili, from Cheshire, who is four inches taller since the surgery, added: “I’m still recovering and taking each day as it comes but I’m delighted with the results.”