Five years ago, simultaneously when her husband, Rob, had to have a double bypass and aortic valve replacement, Marilyn Hallett was diagnosed with two stress fractures emanating from the sacroiliac joint.  She had no idea how this happened – she hadn’t had a fall or an accident – it just came out of nowhere. Subsequently, they found out that she had osteoporosis and over the next three to four years, she experienced six spontaneous fractures.

About 4 years ago Ann Marais (86) fell, broke her hip and didn’t know exactly what to expect.  She shared that osteoporosis hadn’t changed her life; she still did all the things that gave her pleasure, but she did realise the importance of being aware of the condition. She has read up about it and urges others to have their DXA scans done to make sure whether they have brittle bones or not.