The Story of My Life-A Scoliosis Story

My Journey

Hey, I'm Elizabeth, and here is my story. Im a quiet girl, not popular but I have a few friends.

I was told I had scoliosis about three years ago. When I was told that, I couldn't believe it. I didn't want to. Me and my family were told to go to Sick Kids, a children's hospital in Toronto.

Before we went there though, we went to many different hospitals. For blood work or for x-rays.

When we got to Sick Kids, we spent a lot of time just waiting there. Hours on end we sat there and waited for them to call my name. When they finally did, we spent most of the time talking. They told us to come back and get me a back brace to try and stop the curve from getting any worse.

We went back about a month or two later. I met one of the doctors, although I can't remember his name, I know that he was really nice to me.

He coated my body in some sort of paste. Starting with me on my back and then him pulling the blanket I was lying on and flipping me over. I didn't have to do anything. He cut the cast open, it was a model of my body that they were going to use, and got me out of it.

He told us to come back in another couple of months for the brace.

When we did, he made sure it fit right and that it was comfortable. Unlike other doctors from other hospitals, the ones from Sick Kids, talk to the kids, not the parents. I really appreciated that.

Ever since, I've been going to get x-rays and check-ups every six months. It may not seem like much, but count on that it takes over an hour to drive there and then spend probably 4-6 hours at the hospital, then the drive back. It adds up.

Less than a year ago we got the all- clear for the surgery to realign my spine. I don't have to wear the brace anymore. Probably within a year I will have the surgery and then will the recovery begin.

I will have to stay in Sick Kids for a while, which is the 3-year recovery.