Emma "Mini" Gyllenhammar was only 17 years old when everything unraveled. A serious hip injury took away her everyday joy and her dream of following her mother's ski tracks to the South Pole. After a failed operation, she lived for two years with constant pain, and a life on hold. But with help from CMedical, Emma got her life back. Now preparing for the biggest adventure of his life: going to the South Pole with mum "Muttern".
Emma has always been an adventurer. As a teenager, she participated in expeditions with her mother Kathinka, Norway's first female internationally approved polar guide (IPGA). At 14, she became the youngest ever to complete the 100 km Expedition Amundsen polar ski race. She combined an active outdoor upbringing with a promising soccer career, and at 17 she led her team to victory in the California State Championship final.
But behind the success lurked an injury. A hip injury that abruptly put an end to the sporting dream.
- I had always had pain, but it was kept at bay with treatment. Finally, I was told that an operation was necessary, and after the first operation in 2022, everything got much worse. I couldn't run, barely walk. I felt my body was broken. And the dream of the South Pole was suddenly shattered, says Emma.
The turning point at CMedical
When her sports career was in ruins, Emma was advised to see surgeon Kristian Warholm at CMedical. He has extensive experience with hip operations, also on athletes.
“When I first met Emma, ​​she was in a bad place. She was severely affected by pain in her daily life, and had lost a lot of function,” says Warholm.
During the procedure, he found a clear reason: the hip ball did not fit into the hip socket.
- This is a type of operation that requires specialized equipment, the right expertise and experience. The hip joint is a complicated joint, and when the ball does not fit in the socket, every movement becomes painful. For Emma, ​​the situation was extra challenging because she had been dealing with the injury for a long time. We knew we had to be very precise to give her the function back, he says.
- I was terrified. A previous failed hip operation had left me completely exhausted and the thought of going through it again was almost unbearable. But after good and reassuring conversations with Warholm, I dared anyway. The operation took longer than planned because no one knew exactly what was wrong, but I felt immediately afterwards that something was different. The pain was gone, and it was as if I had more room in my hip for movement, she says.
The rehabilitation progressed quickly. Already three months after the operation, she was doing strength training, and by Christmas she was out pulling tires along the street. The following spring, she walked 400 km through the Northwest Passage in northern Canada – over pack ice, scree ice and temperatures down to -40 degrees – together with the nut.
- Making that trip, just six months after the operation, gave me a feeling of mastery I've never felt before, says Emma.
- The most important thing has been Emma's own will and work with the training. She has shown an absolutely enormous effort, and it is that combination that makes her stand where she is today, says Warholm.
Towards the South Pole
In November 2025, Emma and her mother Kathinka go on an expedition. Together they become the world's first mother-daughter duo to go to the South Pole.
- I thought my dream was lost. But thanks to CMedical and the operation, I was given a second chance. Now I'm ready for the biggest adventure of my life.