"She was born with a bony spur at the bottom of her spinal cord. She then developed scoliosis which twists the spine abnormally. The disease took over her life essentially," her mother Tina Mulholland said.
Monique's first six operations were not successful but the last two in June - both lasting 11 hours - have been life-changing.
"There was a chance that this last lot of surgery would not succeed. If it didn't then we were told Monique would have been in a wheelchair for the rest of her life.
"When she was born she was never expected to live but we've been fighting this every step of the way," Ms Mulholland said.
It's not only the extremely difficult and dangerous surgery to contend with but Monique also has a special tube to wash her bowel out and a catheter to empty her bladder.
She had been confined to a wheelchair since aged about two but now she can stand and is independently mobile.
Beyond secondary school, there is university in her sights with a goal of a career in medicine specialising in paediatrics.
"There have been countless bone grafts and she's got goodness knows how many rods and plates in her," Ms Mulholland said.
There will be another operation to try to improve her posture, but that won't happen until next year.
Realistically there is a chance that the disease can reappear but Monique and her mum remain optimistic.
As she has got older the operations have been Monique's choice.
"The surgeons told me I would have no bowel or bladder function after the latest operations but I told them I understood that. I already do a bowel wash and have catheters, so it's nothing I can't deal with," she said.
"There was always that thought I had that what if I didn't have the surgery. What would my life be like then? This has given me so much more confidence. People look at me differently now and it's great."
Her mum said how her daughter has coped has been inspirational.
"We've had our weak moments because she's spent her entire life in and out of hospital and always aware that her condition could deteriorate. But there again, it may not." There are some very special people in this young girl's life, including her family, and the St John shuttle service which got her and her mother to and from Wanganui airport on a couple of occasions.
And especially Hamish Crawford, the orthopaedic surgeon at Starship.
"Thank you to him isn't enough. He's given me something I thought I could never have," Monique said.
And what does she want for her 16th birthday?
"Mum's letting me have a sleep-over - and she's tearing her hair out because I've invited 11 other girls."
So it's all on this weekend.
