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HER JAW WAS LEFT PERMANENTLY INJURED IN THE INCIDENT WHICH HAS LEFT HER WITH CRIPPLING ANXIETY. 11:31, 22 Apr 2025Updated 13:16, 22 Apr 2025 A Scots mum has told how a horror bicycle crash
when she was 10 left her with a child-sized jaw for decades. Alana Brownie, from Sauchen in Aberdeenshire, was one of only a handful of people in Scotland who grew up suffering from
idiopathic condylar resorption. The condition stops the lower jaw from growing, causing issues with eating, sleeping and breathing. The 39-year-old went through years of crippling anxiety
after the childhood accident. Her painful facial injuries were not well understood at the time and doctors were puzzled over why the rest of her body grew but her jaw remained the same size.
Article continues below The mum-of-three said: "It was awful growing up. I didn’t know what I was meant to look like. Who I was meant to be. “It affected my self-esteem, and it took
its toll on my relationships. When you’ve gone through decades of not knowing what you’re meant to look like, when you can’t breathe at night and you’re struggling physically a lot. “When
you’re constantly hiding behind long hair, avoiding mirrors and standing at the back for photos. It takes a toll.” When she was 12 and started to grow, her mum noticed something wasn't
right. Mum Patty Brownie said: "I thought it was mumps at first. But after going to the orthodontist, and then to a specialist, we found out. Her lower jaw wasn't growing.
"The accident had damaged the growing plate, and her jaw was stuck in the size and shape of a child's." After a number of botched surgeries over three decades, Alana underwent
a rare 13-hour facial reconstruction operation in Glasgow. The mum waited six years for the specialist operation with Moorthy Halsnad, a Consultant Maxillofacial and Craniofacial Surgeon at
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, who specialises in facial plastic surgeries. He is the only surgeon in Scotland who combines this type of jaw surgery with reconstructive surgery that can
give patients an adult face. Alana says she can 'look in the mirror' again after the operation changed her life. She added: "After 25 years of not knowing who I was meant to
be, I can now I look in the mirror and I’m beginning to get used to the person looking back at me. “Moorthy and his surgical team had the courage to see the potential in me. Using his skills
and knowledge, he stripped me back and built me up again from scratch. “How can I ever repay him for that?" Following the surgery that required 3D technology and custom-fabricating new
jaw joints the mum is now eight weeks into her recovery. JOIN THE DAILY RECORD WHATSAPP COMMUNITY! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community
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Privacy Notice. She said: "This has been one hell of a rollercoaster. I always thought of myself as a tough cookie, and with my previous surgeries I thought I knew what I was in for.
"But this has been extremely hard – physically and mentally. Article continues below “I’m still on a soft food diet, and I’ve been dreaming of a big juicy steak or a burger, but there
are no words I can physically say or write to thank Moorthy and his team for fixing me – something I can never repay him for and I truly thank him from the bottom of my heart.”