My name is Morgan and I found out I had scoliosis in 2013. I did months of physical therapy but that didn’t help so they scheduled me for surgery. I had my 1st surgery that same year, resulting in 2 rods and 24 screws from T2-L2. Recovery was hard and I had just lost my dad, but I got even stronger than I was before surgery. I went to the gym, played soccer, and ran a 5K. After about 3 ½ years, I had my 2nd surgery in 2017 to get two screws removed due to pain. I thought everything was going fine and wore a brace for 18 hours a day, but soon realized I would need another surgery. I had to have 2 more surgeries and was devastated, but determined to recover.
My surgeon was equipped to handle the risks associated with my surgeries and replaced one of my disks with an interbody fusion. I thought the pain and surgeries would never end, but eventually, they did. I then did months of physical therapy again and was able to graduate high school with honors and go back to work. It was a very hard journey but now I’m almost 5 years post-op from my last surgery and doing much better. I can relax and feel like my old self again. I still live with chronic pain but I’m trying everything I can to manage it. I’ve done physical therapy, massage therapy, steroid injections, medication, and braces. I lost my mom and stepdad during this process, which made everything more difficult, but I was determined to never give up. They taught me that I could be stronger than I ever could have imagined. I still get up every day and try to live my life to the fullest because I deserve it, and so do you. I wasn’t going to let what happened to me stop me from doing what I love. Despite everything I went through, I now work at a hospital, became a phlebotomist, and I’m going to college for my associate’s degree. I also take care of my sisters, am writing a book, and trying to spread awareness for spinal conditions. I hope to help others like me, to teach them that we are more than our conditions. We are worthy, we are strong, our curves and scars are beautiful, and things will eventually get better.
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