This time last year was far from festive for Scarlet who was battling a chronic condition that temporarily stole her eyesight and her ability to walk.

Fast forward 12 months and the 18-year-old has completed her HSC, looking towards university to study psychology and is walking the catwalk.

Scarlet developed the little known condition called Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) after she suffered an injury during a sports clinic in Melbourne. CRPS left Scarlet unable to walk and without vision for weeks. The painful condition is a malfunction in the central and peripheral nervous systems caused by damage to an overstretched sciatic nerve.

In January Scarlet was offered work with national model and talent agency company JR Management and despite her condition, jumped at the opportunity. She was offered modelling work for television commercials, hair shows and fashion lines for world wide brands.

“I’ve recently finished working with Redken for their Get Inspired Show in Sydney. The event gave me the opportunities to get in touch with global hair gurus, meet other models and allowed my confidence, both on and off the runway, to grow,” she said.

While modelling is a career Scarlet would love to pursue she has another vocation in mind. She recently completed her HSC doing better than she thought, given her medical condition. “Surprisingly my results were pretty good. I found the determination to hang in there and just keep pushing on. I’m now looking at studying psychology – a career I find very interesting and I’d love to be able to provide support to others that are in a similar position to me,” Scarlet said.

“The CRPS is becoming evermore easier to manage, although it’s challenging at times, but I always think positive and keep moving forward. It’s easier to manage now the stress of the HSC is over but I will never be 100 per cent cured. As long as I stay healthy, continue with appointments and medications and don’t get too stressed, there’s nothing else I can really do to prevent a relapse. Relapses can occur if I get too stressed, anxious or nervous, so as long as I manage the mental side of things well, there’s not much else I can do to prevent it from recurring again,” she said.