Hello, My Name, Is Scoliosis

In honor of scoliosis awareness month

Photo by Hanna Postova on Unsplash

As I start to evolve to be the best version of myself, sometimes it’s necessary to go back and reflect on a time when you thought your world was coming to an end. It’s very important to study and concentrate on the many lessons you’ve learned during that difficult period of your life. In order to know where you’re going, it’s a must that you study where you’ve been. One story that comes to mind was the time I got diagnosed with scoliosis. According to the MayoClinic, scoliosis is a sideways curvature of the spine that occurs most often during the growth spurt just before puberty.

At the age of nine years old, I was in the dressing room along with my mother in a department store when it was discovered that one side of my shoulder was higher than the other. I recall my mom having me to bend down to touch my toes at least four times while being half-naked. I also had to stand in with my back towards her for several minutes. When exiting the dressing room, I saw my mother beeline to my father to discuss the discovery.

It was at that moment I knew something was wrong. Seeing my parents huddle up like refs for the NBA Finals, I felt that whatever was discovered was something that I needed to worry about. As the school year progressed, I remember going to different doctors’ offices after school. The routine was simple. Remove your bra, put on this gown, and follow me when you’re done. Stand here, hold your breath for 10 seconds, the doctor reviews the x-rays, and refers me to another doctor. It felt like I’d gotten a hundred and one x-rays done during a matter of two weeks.

Finally, it was discovered that I had been diagnosed with scoliosis. At the age of 11, I was confused about what scoliosis was. I barely knew how to pronounce it, let alone explain it if given the opportunity. Most teenage girls have a huge curve at the top region of their spine. According to my x-rays, I had two curves. One at the top and the other at the bottom. The next step would be for my doctor to explain the different options to my parents. One option was to sleep in a back brace at night.

The second option was to get back surgery. I was in the sixth grade and my parents at the time thought that me sleeping in the brace at night would be beneficial. After getting…