Hong Kong

Hi! My name is Sophia and I’m from Hong Kong. I love playing badminton and squash, and anything related to the ocean (surfing, diving, hanging out on the beach…). When I was prescribed a full time WCR brace, it was difficult for me to continue many of these activities, but now that I’ve recovered, I’ve gone back to playing sport regularly again.

I was diagnosed with scoliosis at 12 during a student health check. It was at a time when I was really self-conscious about my body image. I was afraid to tell others about my condition, so I kept it to myself. I had to cancel many plans that summer to fly over and pursue treatment in Guangzhou and Shanghai, and I had to do my Schroth therapy exercises for 2 hours daily. I had to wear a brace for 22 hours per day, but when my friends asked me what it was, I always found it hard to tell them about scoliosis. It was a difficult process, but after a year, I found that my scoliosis curves had decreased to 0 degrees thoracic and below 10 degrees lumbar.

When I was going through scoliosis, I felt really alone. I was, like many, afraid of being seen with a brace with school and afraid of other people knowing that I had scoliosis. It was embarrassing for me to be different from others, and I was worried that others would bully me. The hardest part of having scoliosis wasn’t bracing or physical therapy, it was the impact on my mental health. I used to stutter every time someone asked me about something related to scoliosis. It was a part of me that I wanted to hide. I could feel that my self-esteem was going down, and I started becoming more shy. I haven’t fully learnt to embrace my curve, but I’m working on it. Hearing other patients’ stories has always encouraged me to continue my journey in recovering – the fact that I am not alone in fighting my battles, with many much more severe than mine, inspired me to continue fighting my battle. Now that I’ve recovered, I want to support other girls with scoliosis and tell them that a. surgery isn’t the only way out and b. that they’re not alone.