Hey everyone! I figured a good way you all could get to know me better was to share about this personal, yet life changing aspect of my life. I hope my journey helps bring awareness to scoliosis and the idea that it’s nothing to be ashamed of, but something to embrace.
My journey begins at the age of 13 when I went to get my first spine x-ray. I was then officially diagnosed with a reverse s-curve measuring to the degrees of 35° and 45°. Over the course of the next 5 years, I met with a total of 6 doctors and surgeons, participated in physical therapy, and even attempted a program that was supposed to correct my curves non surgically. Unfortunately, none of that worked.
Scoliosis not only affected my body physically, but it altered how I looked at myself. Not only did it give me constant pain and discomfort, but it changed my body shape, causing me to have uneven hips and a compressed, rotated torso. I spent the entirety of my early life being self-conscious about the way my body looked and struggled to see my personal beauty.
Just in the last 2 years, the curves in my spine began to increase rapidly causing concern for the future health of my body. So, last summer (June 2020), my parents and I made the decision to go through with ASC surgery. A lot of you may be asking what ASC is, so here is a brief description. Basically it is a less invasive way to correct scoliosis. A more commonly known surgery is spinal fusion, but with the fusion I would lose all flexibility for the rest of my life and never be able to play sports again. The surgery entailed putting screws and a chord in my spine to undo the curves. In my case, they had to do a “double double” operation where both sides of my spine would have hardware in it. The procedure for Anterior Scoliosis Correction (ASC) is only done in New Brunswick, New Jersey, so we were very fortunate to only live about 4.5 hours away.
On October 15, I underwent an 8 hour surgery that ultimately changed my life for the better. Before the surgery, at the age of 18, my curves were measured to the degrees of 55° and 66°. After surgery, my curves were measured at 6° and 4°. With the ASC surgery, my flexibility will come back completely and I will be able to live a healthy life, pain free. My hopes are to eventually return back to the two things I love most: playing volleyball and dancing.
Yesterday marks 13 weeks since I have had the surgery. It has been a long journey getting to where I am now, and recovery has not been easy. I had to start all over and relearn everything that used to come natural to me, like walking. Additionally, I have two 8 inch scars that run up the sides of my torso, and personally, they are my new favorite thing about my body. They tell a story, my story, and they are a part of who I am now.
This surgery has opened my eyes to so many things and along the way I have learned so many valuable life lessons that I will always cherish.
- Appreciate the little things.
- Everyday find something to be grateful for.
- Stop taking things for granted.
Before I had this surgery I never realized how much I took walking for granted, or even just being able to get up out of bed on my own. It is at that point when I realized from those days forward, I would never take anything for granted again. There is a huge world out there waiting to be explored and to have its beauty appreciated. I encourage all of you, everyday, to think of one thing you are grateful for in this life and to just explore.
If you too are someone who suffers from scoliosis, I encourage you to reach out, and to just embrace it! You are beautiful the way you are. One of my favorite quotes that I would tell myself day in and day out was:
“Some roses grow with crooked stems, but that doesn’t change their beauty.” -Abigail Kuhn
And I have never heard anything truer.
