Skeletal/Respiratory System

Samantha was diagnosed with scoliosis, a condition that causes a person's spine to curve too

much, in sixth grade. Between sixth and ninth grades, she received treatment for her condition

— sometimes at a hospital hundreds of miles away from her home. Samantha's spine is now

much straighter, and it will stay that way, thanks to a spinal fusion (an operation in which the

vertebrae, the individual bones that make up a person's spinal column, are joined together). In

this personal story, Samantha shares her experience being treated for scoliosis.

I didn't have to go to school for 2 months. While I was home, I napped a lot and took leisurely

walks through the neighborhood. My grandma came to visit and my family waited on me. When

I got back to school, my elevator privileges allowed me to skirt large, rowdy crowds in the

hallways. I was the only person in my class who was excused from carrying a ton of books

back and forth to school.

Now that things have returned to normal, there are times I wouldn't mind going back to the

leisurely life after my spinal fusion operation. But the road from diagnosis to treatment was

also a mental and physical hardship much of the time. I guess you could say my experience

was a "mixed bag." It was often physically painful and emotionally taxing, but there were many

rewarding moments as well.