mmg.com.au

Victoria Hort has never been one to complain, even though she has more right to than most.

Ms Hort, 21, has a rare bone disorder that became known as Victoria’s Syndrome because she is the only known person in the world with it.

The disorder caused one of her legs to grow longer than the other, leading to a permanent limp, and she had about 20 hip and leg operations up to her 2009 graduation from Mooroopna Secondary College.

‘‘They said I would never walk and I walked,’’ she said.

‘‘I just tend to do things my way. Nothing stops me, generally.’’

Physical pain typified Ms Hort’s childhood.

Emotional pain devastated her life three times in six weeks last year.

Ms Hort was 17 weeks pregnant with twin boys when low-lying placenta forced her into premature labour.

Babies Dustin and Noah died on April 12.

Ms Hort’s grandfather George Hicks died on April 19, then the father of her twins Garion Knowles, 20, died after crashing his car into a tree near Rushworth on May 25.

Ms Hort is more determined to help others than complain about her life.

She will shave her head to raise money for leukaemia research tomorrow.

‘‘It’s been a rough ride, but doing Shave for a Cure has given me something to be positive about,’’ she said.

‘‘If I can help someone else, it makes me feel better about myself.’’

The World’s Greatest Shave, formerly Shave for a Cure, has raised more than $138million to support leukaemia patients and research since 1998.

Ms Hort raised about $1500 from shaving her head as a student in 2006 and she hopes to better that amount tomorrow.

‘‘I’ve done door-knocking, but my little legs can’t take me far,’’ she said.

Ms Hort said cancer had affected many people in her life.

‘‘There’s no particular person I’m doing (the shave) for, it’s just for everyone,’’ she said.

Ms Hort will shave her hair at the Shepparton home she shares with four others.

She is not worried about going bald.

‘‘It’s hair, it grows back,’’ she said.

‘‘I think of those who have cancer, the whole time they have treatment and stuff they don’t have hair.’’

Complaining has just never been for Ms Hort.

Visit Victoria's World's Greatest Shave page to make a donation.