Danielle
There are many words that come to mind when I think of
scoliosis; pain, brace, curve, rotation, physiotherapy,
doctors, x-rays, etc. But perhaps the word which evokes the
strongest connection is simply: me.
Scoliosis has been a part of my life since I was eight years
old. It was my dance teacher who first noticed the imbalance
of my hips and shoulders. Upon further examination at CHEO,
the local children’s hospital, it was discovered that I had
(approx.) a 10° curve in my spine, indicating idiopathic
scoliosis. For the following five years, I would go to the
hospital every six months for an x-ray. During that time, my
curve fluctuated between 8° and 15°. Also, I started to get
lower back pain at night. The doctors opted for a “wait and
see” technique, and presented us solely with information
about the Boston brace and surgery.
Seeking more options to treat my scoliosis, my mother did
some research on the internet and found the flexible
SpineCor brace. It appealed to me as the brace’s home page
portrayed a ballerina wearing the SpineCor (ballet being one
of my interests). I was fitted in Montreal with the brace in
2008, a few days after my 13th birthday.
During my first year in the SpineCor brace, we were
satisfied, as far as how the results turned out. The brace
had managed to maintain my right thoracic-lumbar curve at
22°.
The SpineCor stopped working for me the following year when
my curve increased significantly to 42° in April 2010. We
took immediate action and booked a flight to Barcelona in
May 2010, where I was fitted with a rigid Rigo-Cheneau
brace. Although the difference between a flexible and a
rigid brace is immense, I’m proud to say that I wore my
Rigo-Cheneau brace the entire first night as well as the
whole next morning until my appointment! No “getting used
to” the pain - just confronting it head-on!
So here I am now, at sixteen years old, and I have been
wearing my brace 23/7 for over a year. I still continue to
do my Schroth exercises on a weekly basis, and hope to be
able to switch to a nighttime brace this winter. Sure,
scoliosis can be painful and frustrating, but it’s a part of
me and will forever be and so I have accepted it. I strongly
believe that optimism, determination and hard-work are the
key factors which can ultimately lead anyone to achieve
their goals. I love to perform on stage (singing, dancing
and piano) and have recently participated in my high
school’s musical theatre production. Sports, like soccer,
are so much fun, and reading and writing are my hobbies. I
am so pleased to be starting the first Canadian Curvy Girls
support group here in Ottawa with Juliana! Scoliosis is a
disease that affects many different people from all over the
world. I believe that creating this group will help girls
with scoliosis here in Ottawa confront the difficulties of
this disease knowing that they’re not alone, and knowing
that they will always have a friend with whom to talk and to
ask questions… but more importantly, a friend who truly
understands.
If you are interested in donating to our group, please Click Here