For me, it all started in 2008 when I was 10 years old. I went in for an appendectomy and for the pre-op testing, I was required to get a chest X-ray. That is when I got diagnosed with scoliosis. The journey for me though began a year later. I got fitted into a plastic back brace (Boston Brace). After years of being in that brace and other braces, my spine had gotten progressively worse, and in 2013, my thoracic curve was around 60 degrees and my lumbar around 45. All doctors in my home country (I am from Greece) insisted on getting spinal fusion. Still, given the complexity of it and the fact that I was actively dancing and doing gymnastics, we decided to pursue a different route. That’s when the ScoliSmart journey started. From 2013 till 2019 I was religiously visiting a clinic in New York twice a year, where using biomechanics they tried to prevent curve growth and reduce my already severe scoliosis. From 2019 until 2023, I moved from my home country to the US and stopped thinking about my back since I thought there was nothing more to do. I continued dancing and living a super active lifestyle, with daily discomfort and some chronic pain, but I was eager not to let that stop me!
In 2023, I came across a girl who was dancing and had scoliosis. She ended up having surgery that allowed her to keep dancing. That surgery is called Anterior Scoliosis Correction, or ASC for short. Fast forward to now (June 2024) I am happy to say I am 6 weeks post ASC and achieved a great correction. Recovery has been challenging mentally and physically but I am blessed and grateful to be able to dance and correct my severe curvature that was causing me pain and would most likely have caused respiratory problems in the future.
After surgery, I feel the need to spread scoliosis awareness and normalize a crooked spine. More and more people should know about this condition and kids should be getting tested annually. As a teenager with scoliosis, I was embarrassed to be wearing a brace, scared of what people would think of me, and their reaction to my crooked back. Now, I want to speak up for my little self, advocate for teens with scoliosis, and normalize being crooked. I am so proud of my story and sharing it could potentially help others as well.
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