Claire, US: Now Smiling :)

I was diagnosed with scoliosis in 7th grade. I was devastated because I was afraid that I would have to stop playing basketball. Luckily, my doctor told me that my scoliosis was only moderate, not severe, so I could keep playing. However, I had to wear a brace for 14 hours a day. I was annoyed at first when I got my brace because it was uncomfortable and hard to move in. I cried the first few nights that I had to sleep in it. Now, I'm smiling because I'm so grateful that I listened to him and actually wore my brace for 14 hours a day. Wearing my brace prevented my curve from progressing to the point of needing surgery. I am so lucky that I didn't need surgery because it takes a lot of time to recover from spinal fusion. It could have taken me out of basketball for a season. My advice for anyone else with scoliosis is that if your doctor give you a brace, wear it!