Ava M.

I am a 17 year old spinal champion and a devoted Girl Scout, who was diagnosed with scoliosis 4 years ago at my annual check-up. My doctor asked me to do a ‘forward bend’ test which concerned him enough to order an x-ray. I had the x-ray done and my doctor called my parents that evening to tell them I had scoliosis and it was worse than he thought, with a curve of 36 degrees. My parents found a clinic that specializes in the non-invasive treatment of scoliosis. My journey was not easy and I had to wear a back brace for 3.5 years, 23 hours a day. Along with wearing a back brace, special daily exercises were required, and it was important to be consistent. I was lucky to never have had any pain. Currently, I am working on my Girl Scouts Gold Award project, which is the highest and most prestigious award in Girl Scouts, and I’ve selected Scoliosis Awareness as my project, with the goal of providing kids and teens with the peer support they may need as they venture into their scoliosis journey. I have also created a YouTube channel to help other kids and teens know that they are not alone on their scoliosis journey.