I’m a “curvy” girl – my scoliosis story. 

June is Scoliosis Awareness Month in the US. Since scoliosis is something that has affected my life for the past 20+ years, I wanted to briefly share my story. 

At my physical before entering 7th grade, the doctor noticed that my spine was curved – pretty severely. An X-ray showed a 72 degree curve in my upper spine. A back brace was out of the question and I was scheduled to have spinal fusion surgery in April of my 7th grade year. Leading up to my surgery was miserable. No matter how I sat in a desk, I was in horrible pain at school. Kids are already mean at that age and I tried to keep a sense of humor about it, but the comments about being a “hunchback” and looking like Quasimodo hurt. 

My surgery lasted 14 hours and I was in the hospital for about a week. I woke up from surgery two inches taller and that was the height I would stay the rest of my life. I couldn’t return to school until 8th grade and I was pretty much bed-ridden for that whole summer. 

I could choose to focus on all of the things scoliosis kept me from doing. For a long time, I did. For a long time, I limited my choices based on what I “couldn’t” do. I wanted to play volleyball and run track and couldn’t. I wanted to participate in PE at school and couldn’t. I wanted to wear a swimsuit without having to answer questions about the huge scar on my back. I wanted to wear a tight shirt without having someone comment on my crooked back. I couldn’t carry my textbooks, couldn’t bungee jump or ride roller coasters (not that I wanted to), couldn’t be a cheerleader. I couldn’t go into nursing or physical therapy or any occupation with heavy lifting. I couldn’t go to a chiropractor or have massages. I even had instructions from the doctor that specifically stated I couldn’t swing from a chandelier.

Now that I’m older, I choose to focus instead on what scoliosis couldn’t prevent me from doing. It couldn’t keep me from going to college or marrying the love of my life. It couldn’t keep me from making friends, singing in choir, volunteering, being involved at church. It couldn’t keep me from experiencing – twice – the joy of pregnancy and motherhood (though it did make giving birth a little more complicated). It couldn’t keep me from finding a job that I love. It can’t keep me from living a full, happy life. 

Scoliosis is one of my diagnoses but it’s just part of who I am. It doesn’t define me.