It all started when and I went to go get our physicals before the cheer season started. And as the examination went on he noticed I had curvature to my spine. The doctor said it was no big deal, that if we went to Shriner's Hospital for Children they would get me taken care of. I was calm about the entire situation because in my head it was no big deal. So we made an appointment with Shriner's and the appointment was about three months away. I didn't worry about it I went to school, went to cheer, and did my homework, and just lived my life.

When the day of the appointment came we had to wake up early because we had an 8am appointment and it was about a two hour drive to Shriner's from our house. So we got up, got ready, and went there. When we got there I remember how amazed I was at how big the building was, and I stopped and just looked at it for what felt like forever.( Side note: I have always been amazed by big things because I am small, so it reminds me how small I am and how big God is).

Here is a picture of what the outside of Shriner's Hospital for Children- Northern, California looks like. It is located in Sacramento, California.

The day started with checking in, then to go get x-rays, and then seeing the doctor and hm asking questions and doing an examination. All of which is normal stuff a doctor does so there was no fear or worry at all. After I got my x-ray we had to go back in to talk to the doctor, and he said I needed a back brace. That made me a little scared, but my mother reassured me that it would be okay. So we went and made an appointment with the orthopedic and it was for a month later. A month later when we went back to Shriner's to see the orthopedic about my back brace I was a little bit scared, but the guy who did it was so nice and he took the time to answer all my questions and ease the worries in my mind about it. I then did measurements and he had me put on this special undershirt to put the plaster paris on for the shape of the brace. We then had to go back a month later when it was completed to try it on and for him to make any minor adjustments that were needed,gave us the care instructions, then we took the brace home. I had to wear it for 23 hours a day, with the only time taking it off was to shower. It was a lot bigger of an adjustment than I thought it would be. But I kept pushing on with the thought that this would get me better.

This is a picture of my twin sister in a Boston Brace to attempt to correct Scoliosis (I had to wear it too but I don't have any pictures of me in it)

So I faithfully wore my braces in hopes my back would heal. After about a year and a half when i went to Shriner's for a checkup that my doctor gave my mother and I the news we didn't at all want to hear. That my degree had gotten so bad that I would need surgery to correct it because the brace wasn't stopping the curve from progressing. At this point I was scared and upset and angry. I was a angry because I did everything I was supposed to do and it didn't stop the Scoliosis from progressing and that my twin sister didn't have to get the surgery like I did. I was upset because I knew it made my mother upset that I had to get this surgery. I was scared because this is a major surgery and would change my life.

So we made the surgery date as soon as we could which was October. Now it was only February at this point so they wanted us to return to Shriner's in May to see how I was doing. So we made the two hour journey back home and it was a quiet car ride, and the future of surgery weighed heavy on my mind. But life had to continue for me, and so it did. Which helped me to forget about the surgery in my near future.

So we go back in May and they are concerned how quickly the curve was progressing and so they put me on the list to have the surgery as quickly as possible by putting me on a list to call when people rescheduled their surgery date.

So we went home and it was summertime, so there wasn't school to keep my mind occupied. So I tried my hardest to keep my mind busy by hanging out with my friends and going to church, but I was still fearful and the surgery weighed heavy on my mind.

I remember the morning of July 29, 2011 very well. No it is not my surgery date. My sister and I were with my friends Kamrin and Sierra (who are also twins) and we had a wonderful night of painting nails and watching movies and just having fun. Their mother came into the room we were in and she told my that my mother was on the phone and needed to talk to me. I didn't think it was a big deal, but there were tears in my friends mother's eyes. My mom told me that I would be getting the surgery on the 31st. I was shocked because that was only two days away and I didn't feel prepared. So I went home from my friends and we packed to go to the hospital for the surgery. We left super early the next day to do all the pre surgery things.

When they measured my curve the day before my surgery it was at 80 degrees, and the doctors wondered how I walked in the room and wasn't in constant and excruciating pain. It scared me when they said that.

They gave the instructions on how to do self care the night before the surgery. I took a shower(because I wouldn't be able to for awhile after) and my mom let me be in there as long as I wanted(and what my mother never knew was I spent most of that shower crying) and I ate a nice meal and some snacks because I wasn't allowed to eat after midnight (though I had a snack at 11:45 which was a bad idea) and I went to sleep to be up and at the hospital at 5:30 the next morning.

The next morning we woke up and went to the hospital and I got vitals done and they asked me and my mom all kinds of questions. They took my mom to go sign paperwork and they had me to go out a gown on. And it was in that moment in that room putting my gown on that it all hit me and I started to have a horrible panic attack. And the nurse calmly came in and gently hugged me and gave me some medicine to take to help me calm down. Two wonderful friends of mine from my church named Lisa and Linda came and prayed over me. I was then put under for the surgery to take place.

Me on surgery day. I totally look so cute and happy I know!

The surgery took eight hours, and halfway through they had me wiggle my toes to make sure I wasn't paralyzed. The placed screws, hooks, and rods as well as fused my spine. I had a S curve(Meaning my spine looked like an S) so they had to fuse my entire spine. They also broke all of my ribs on my right side and corrected them because they were deformed from the severe Scoliosis.

This is kind of what my spine looks like in the sense of the screws, rods, and hooks ) Mine do go the entire length of my spine though)

I stayed at Shriner's for two and a half weeks and had some breathing complications from my rib issue. But I did the physical therapy, occupational therapy, walking, and breathing therapy.

The spinal fusion takes a year to completely fuse to your spine, so you have to be incredibly careful the first year. But they gave us a list and we followed it and I recovered beautifully and I got back to living my life fairly quickly.

Shriner's Hospital for Children made the process as easy for me as possible. And I couldn't be more grateful for all of the wonderful work that they do at Shriner's from the doctors and nurses to the volunteers. They make sure that children get the medical treatments and things they need and that families do not have to worry about the cost. I am forever grateful for Shriner's Hospitals for Children.