Former foster parent Doreen Kowalski felt the first twinges of pain in her back 25 years ago.

Now, with the help of Brad-ford's new £1m MRI scanner, funded by the people in a T&A-backed campaign, she hopes her condition will at last be diagnosed.

Doreen, 55, of Baildon, was among the first six patients to be scanned on the first day of operation of the scanner at Bradford Royal Infirmary.

Her back condition gradually worsened, partly due to the wear and tear of caring for the many children she gave a home to until six years ago when she was rushed to hospital for emergency surgery after she became paralysed below the waist.

A disc was removed from her back and she was able to get back on her feet but she needed more help last Christmas when the pain in her back combined with numbness in her legs.

A painful injection in her back to try to combat the problems failed to sort her out.

Yesterday's scan will give the clearest pictures ever taken of her back problems. And Doreen did it to the strains of Diana Ross and Stevie Wonder.

Doreen chose one of a number of cassettes offered to patients.

MRI technology is ideal for imaging the back, revealing precise details about soft tissues and specialists are already saying the machine is producing the best pictures they have seen.

Mrs Kowalski said she needed walking sticks to get about and had broken her ankle six weeks ago after falling down the stairs. "I'm getting a lot of pain in the back and legs," she said.

"The numbness is gradually creeping up my legs which is a very odd feeling and I have problems with my legs giving way underneath me."

Doreen was ushered into the scanner suite, given earplugs to muffle the noise from the machine as well as a panic button in case she became worried and was then manoeuvred into the scanner.

Technicians in a hi-tech suite overlooking the scanner spoke to her through a speaker from time to time to let her know how things were going.

Halfway through the procedures she was given an injection of dye which helped show the contrast between scar tissue and discs in her back, a feature which only MRI scans can reveal. She said she was a bit nervous beforehand and felt a little claustrophobic in the machine but it had been okay.

"There is nothing to be worried about. The music makes a big difference because you have got something there in the background. It's comfortable - there's a light on overhead and there's air blowing, so it is quite nice."

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