Patient Stories

My name is Lisa, and I am currently 26 years old. I was diagnosed with scoliosis when I was in middle school during a physical in P.E. I was unfamiliar with the condition, and it was all very frightening for me. Initially, I was referred to Dr. Peter Newton at…...

Strut for Scoliosi Scoliosis has led me down a curvy path with many ups and downs, but Dr. Jack Flynn, at Shriners Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia, constantly reminded me, “You are running a marathon, not a race.” This line has always resonated with me in times of despair. Although it…...

Lena was diagnosed with Idiopathic Scoliosis at age seven. In 2010, Lena’s curve had progressed to a 52 degree curve, and she needed urgent surgical intervention. On her fourteenth birthday, Lena was released from Rady’s Children’s Hospital. Her surgery was a complete success and she even appeared in our Scoliosis…...

My long journey with scoliosis started seven years ago, when I was just ten years old. I was taking a yoga class when my teacher unexpectedly noticed that my back was uneven. Little did I know that this simple observation was actually the beginning of what would become a very…...

Twelve years ago, I didn’t even know what scoliosis was. When I was diagnosed with the condition, I thought it was impossible. But once you notice that curvature, you can’t un-see it. My eyes would go to it every time I looked in the mirror, every time someone took a…...

Kathy Ricciardi is a 20 year old patient of Alfred I. duPont Children’s Hospital in Wilmington Delaware. She was diagnosed with Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis when she was 10 years of age with a 22 degree spinal curvature. Despite bracing, her curve increased to 52 degrees and with significant truncal asymmetry…...

When I first found out I had scoliosis, one of my biggest concerns was how much it was going to affect my day to day life. I learned a great deal about myself when I started out in my brace. I found out I am tougher than I ever could…...