Pennsylvania

Hi! My name is Emma. I live in Pennsylvania with my parents. I enjoy swimming, playing volleyball, doing crafts, and hanging out with my friends.

My scoliosis journey started in 2016 when I was 4 years old. I got a bad cold, had a high fever, and was struggling to breathe so my parents took me to the emergency room. A chest X-ray showed I had pneumonia, and scoliosis. I started seeing an orthopedic specialist from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). I learned my curve was at 14 degrees. Six months later my curve progressed to 26 degrees. I was measured for a brace and wore it 20 hours a day for the next three years. During that time, I was fitted for a new, longer brace, which was not only successful in halting progression of my curve, but actually reversed it. In September 2019, my curve was down to 20 degrees. (It was once as high as 42 degrees.) As a result, I was able to take a break from wearing my brace. Over the next three years, at every follow-up appointment my curve stayed under 25 degrees and my brace break continued. At my most recent follow-up appointment, however, I learned my curve progressed to 25 degrees and it’s likely I will be braced again this Fall.

I went to my first Curvy Girls meeting in October 2016, four days after I got my first brace. I participated in 3 fashion shows with the Philly chapter and attended the Curvy Girls Convention in 2018 and participated in the fashion show there. The support I’ve gotten from the girls I’ve met through Curvy Girls has been amazing! Being a group leader would let me help other girls the way I have been helped and continue the great work of the CG Philly Chapter Leaders before me.