I was in total disbelief. Georgia had bent forward to pick up a piece of clothing she had just changed out of. Normally her long brown hair would cascade over her back, but this time her hair was pulled up, exposing the unevenness of her back. Immediately, my thoughts were racing. How did this happen? When did this happen? Is she going to be ok? How in the world did I not notice this before?
Trying to stay positive before her doctor’s appointment, we thought maybe this was something that’s not going to get worse and could just be monitored. Georgia was 10 years old when she was diagnosed with Idiopathic Scoliosis. She was so quiet when the doctor told her while discussing treatment recommendations and possible outcomes. She would need to wear a Boston Brace for 20 hours per day to slow down the progression of her curve until she reached skeletal maturity, which would likely be in 4 years. There were no guarantees of success, but hopefully she could avoid or at least delay spinal fusion surgery. I thought to myself, this isn’t going to work. She’s always been at the top of the growth charts and how can I keep her in a brace for so many hours, and years.
One of the most difficult days in her bracing journey was the day she was fitted for her brace. She had no idea how she was going to deal with this tight-fitting foreign object going forward. It was overwhelming to her, both physically and mentally. And not knowing anyone with scoliosis, she also felt isolated. However, she quickly adapted to it by easing into her schedule, wearing baggy clothes and a comfortable polyester tank top underneath. Seamless formfitting tank tops became her new best friend as it provided more comfort. Naturally shy, she was so worried her friends and others would view her differently, but they all rallied around her after she stood in front of the class and told them about her scoliosis.
Although she dealt with discomfort at times, Georgia stayed physically active by playing club soccer as well as a variety of other sports. She was happy to put the brace in a ‘time out’ for sports. As she got older, it was more challenging to wear the brace for so many hours a day. We often mapped out her schedule and came to the realization it’s a marathon, not a single race. Although her curve increased during her adolescent years, she now remains stable, avoiding the need for surgery now and likely in the future. We are extremely proud of Georgia’s strength, determination, and perseverance. As an adult, she maintains a physically active lifestyle and has found benefits with Shroth therapy exercises.
It was important to us for Georgia to feel empowered, not held back. Some days this was easier said than done but staying busy and having a variety of interests helped her to refocus. And although this was a transformative experience, she realizes this is only a part of who she is. To this day, we still get a little nervous when going in for checkups. X-rays are taken and displayed side by side on the monitor. An x-ray from the last visit right next to the current version. Each time we immediately think the curve worsened even if it didn’t. However, what remains now is a beautiful s-shaped curve from a unique marathon that Georgia ran, giving it her best shot and crossing the finish line one way or another.
