Identity “23 hours a day, seven days a week, for one to two years.” These words were the start of my journey with Scoliosis. I was with my mom at the chiropractor. The appointment was for her but since I couldn’t drive yet, I came along. After he was done adjusting her, he asked me to stand up. He looked me up and down, and told me that one shoulder was higher than the other, and there was a slight curve in my back. I was shocked because usually when I go along to the chiropractor I just sit quietly on the side. He said he wanted to take an x-ray to make sure. Next we walked over to the x-ray room to get my back scanned. The following week, we came back to look at the results. The doctor said I had a curvature of the spine with a 40 degree …show more content…
I was afraid because I didn’t want to get surgery but I also didn’t want to wear a brace. Once we got to the hospital, they took another x-ray and sat us in a small, enclosed room. About 10 minutes later, the doctor knocks on the door and joins the room. He explains that a brace would work better for me because I was still growing and the brace would help my back grow straight. I was relieved but still scared. He explained the brace more in depth while mentioning that I would have to wear it everyday for 23 hours, until I stopped growing. I was shocked. I didn’t want to live in the brace but I also wanted my back to get better. This also meant that I would have to wear it to school. I was in volleyball and dance, and I didn’t want to deal with this too. Next, they took measurements, and we headed back …show more content…
I wore the brace even though it made everything a challenge. If I didn’t wear it, I would be in pain in the future and had a possibility of getting surgery. I also learned that everyone is fighting a battle. Before this journey, I was unaware that these events can happen to anyone and I was somewhat apathetic. After this journey, I am more accepting of others because you never know the suffering that they are going through. I am grateful that I went through these tough years because it led me to become the caring, determined person I strive to