I could not breathe. It was so tight around my torso that my stomach could not even expand. My burdensome battle with scoliosis had just begun. It dug deep into my rib cage and scratched my skin until it was raw. A few months before this moment my doctor told me I had an alarming curve in my spine, and the only way to prevent surgery was to wear a cumbersome plastic brace starting at my underarms and ending at my hips. Initially I thought it would not be too unpleasant, but that was far from the truth. The doctor scanned my body and had made a brace which was designed specifically for me. I awkwardly put it on and realized that this experience was going to take a long time to get used to.

The doctor strapped up the brace, and it felt like I was wearing a corset. I tried to take my first breath, but it felt like someone was trying to suffocate me. I turned to my mom and said loudly, “I can’t breathe!” As she turned to the doctor he said, “You have to learn how to breathe from your chest and not from your stomach.” In this moment I could not believe this was happening to me. Why was I born with this, why was it getting worse, and why could I not control it? I started to cry and the doctor told me, “There is nothing you have done wrong, and this is not as bad as it seems right now. Once you put your shirt on nobody will notice the brace.” In that moment I thought that this was completely wrong and everyone that walked past would stare at me. I finally stopped crying, and begged my mom to let me stay home from school. Although I cried and begged, she forced me into the car and drive me to Mount Carmel.

My whole life was changed by this situation, and, at the time, it felt like the end of the world. As I walked around people, it felt as though everyone was staring at me as if I looked funny. I was immensely insecure about the way I looked and what people thought of me. My friends and family played an enormous role in helping me to understand that this situation was just an obstacle I would have to overcome in my life. They made me feel like this was a normal experience and made me feel better by praying for me and talking with me. When my skin became raw from the constant friction, my aunt would rub cream and bandage it up. Although I am not glad this situation has happened to me, I am thankful I have gotten through it and have been changed as a person. I now love being myself, and I view myself and my body differently. I have become far less insecure and have embraced the way I look and feel. If it were not for this experience, I probably would not have come to realize my self worth and how strong I am as a person. Although this situation was extremely strenuous, it could have been worse. I am extremely lucky that God has helped me through this phase in my life and helped me strive because of it.