Performing spine surgery at UHN that no one else would

For years Liana Hart was told the spine surgery she needed wasn’t possible – until she was referred to Dr. Stephen Lewis at UHN.

Diagnosed with severe scoliosis as a child, Liana grew up with debilitating pain due to the increasing curvature of her spine. She also lived with congenital myasthenia, a comorbidity that cut Liana’s lung capacity in half and required a tracheotomy to fill her lungs with air.

By the time Liana was a teenager, consistent pain and difficulty breathing meant walks with friends and family were often abandoned in minutes, and she was struggling to keep up with her studies at school. In early adulthood, the amount of space in her chest was further restricted by scoliosis, blocking lungs that were already compromised.

While the need for surgery was clear, the question of who would perform the surgery was not. In total, five surgeons over five years declined to operate due to the difficulty of the procedure.

“It was very disheartening,” remembers Liana. “Every time someone declined I had to start the process all over again with a new surgeon, a new referral, and a new wait time of up to a year.”

It was then that Liana and her family met esteemed orthopedic surgeon Dr. Lewis at UHN, and they got the answer they were looking for. He put them at ease about performing the surgery, with the support of a UHNITED surgical team including anesthesiologist Dr. Atul Prabhu, and OR nurses Rick Neves, Yoojin Lee, Rebecca Marks and Cristela Pajota.

With a plan in place however, COVID struck, further delaying surgery so that when surgery finally got underway at Toronto Western Hospital in 2023, Liana’s lung capacity had dropped below 40%.

Recovering with the support of UHN’s pain management team, Liana returned home after 10 days in the ICU – her future changed by what had never been done.

Now 24 and free from pain, Liana enjoys life in ways that had been impossible – from longer walks with her family, to spending quality time with her boyfriend and friends. After a one-year hiatus she has also returned to school, launching herself into the first year of a master’s program in psychotherapy.

“I was thrilled beyond words,” says Olivia Hart, Liana’s mother. “Liana’s life is really great now – we can’t thank Dr. Lewis, his team, and UHN enough.”