Brazil

My name is Maria and I am a 16 year old teen that lives in São Paulo, Brazil. I was diagnosed with scoliosis at only 3 years old, however, I only started to realize changes in my body around 12. Different from other girls, thanks to my parents and amazing doctor, I always tried to look at my curvy spine in a positive and healthy way. However, there were times where I felt as though I was the only one that suffered from this condition. Thus, I tried to hide my curvature from my friends and never felt really comfortable to talk about this with them. 

After some years of my curvature progressing, in 2017 I had my spinal fusion. This operation has been the biggest lesson in my life, as it made me understand the importance that scoliosis had over me. Having scoliosis made me grow more mature, be braver and understand that I can face any difficult obstacles that come in my way. Also, after my operation I had gotten more confident in talking about my condition to others, and the outcome was amazing. I found out some of my classmates also had scoliosis and I was able to help them and explain a bit of my situation.  

After realizing that many other girls all over the world were also passing through the same problems as I was, I knew I had to do something. Thus, when I came across Curvy Girls I thought it would be a great opportunity for me to help educate and normalize the concept of scoliosis around girls. I would also love to help them through this tough situation, by making this a less stressful problem in their life. 

Since I was a kid, I always had a special love for fashion. I love to express my personality through my style and enjoy reading fashion magazines. A few years ago, I also discovered another passion of mine, writing. Writing was one of the ways in which I found to express my creativity and emotions. Thus, my dream one day is to write a children’s book telling a bit of my journey in life.