I was diagnosed with scoliosis at the age of 10. I had mild back pain for about a year before being diagnosed. At my first appointment, Dr. Bellflower at Peyton Manning Children’s hospital discovered I had scoliosis. My curves were 95 and 80 degrees. The same day my mom and I had to make the decision to either doing the surgery to fuse my spine or take the risk of being in a wheelchair the rest of my life. My mom decided to do the surgery to give me a better life. We didn’t know the bad effects that would happen in the future. I waited 2 months before I could have the surgery.
A few weeks before my surgery I had to get an MRI , X-rays and blood work done . I also had to donate my own blood for the surgery. The day of my surgery I had to be at the hospital at 7 am.
We got checked in and waited to be taken back into prepping. My surgery lasted 9 hours. About 30 screws and 2 rods later I was straight. One screw wouldn’t tighten all the way so it’s been loose since 2011. I spent a week in the hospital doing rehab to grow stronger. I finally got to go home after a hard week. I missed 2.5 months of elementary school to recover. In August, I was finally able to go back to school to finish up the previous grade and start my last year. To this day I’ve had a lot going on with my fusion but I’m grateful to be alive and walking!
