Scoliosis is a medical condition that causes a sideways curve of your spine. The spine bends either to the right or left, and can be cured through exercises or surgery. It can develop at any age in childhood. It usually develops at an early age, especially during the growth spurt of puberty. It is said that about one in 40 children have some degrees of scoliosis.

Freshmen Aidalice Rodriquez found out she had scoliosis in December 2012. It was also a coincidence when she discovered this cause. The day she went to the hospital due to having a bad cold, the doctor took an x-ray of her lungs to see if there was anything wrong. That is when she was diagnosed.

‘’When I got diagnosed, that’s not really what they were looking for, ‘’ Rodriguez said.

The symptoms she had were consisted of headaches, backaches, and her shoulder blade was higher leaning to the left side.

‘’The worst part about it was going home,” Rodriguez said. “Because in the car it was horrible for my back.”

She had a brace between December to August 2013, when she opted to have surgery.

‘’I hated wearing a brace because I would have to wear it to sleep,’’ Rodriguez said.

During a second check of her back, the doctors found that her spine had a 65 degree curve, which indicated that the scoliosis was getting worse. Because of this, Rodriguez had two options: get another brace, or get surgery. Her family opted to get surgery.

‘’I couldn’t remember anything after surgery, due to the effects of the medicine I was taking,” Rodriguez said.

She returned to school on November 22, 2013. Because of her surgery, it caused her to miss out on a lot of instruction. From being taught every day at school, to being homeschooled, is a major change. Although Rodriguez had the surgery, she consistently had to keep up with her school work.

“The [home school] teacher was actually a math lab teacher,” Rodriguez said. “But she helped me catch up.’’

One thing that made her happy is that her doctor informed her that she has no limitation on her doing sports again.

‘’I was happy to return to school because I had not seen my friends,” Rodriguez said. “Plus, I prefer learning at school than at home.’’

After her recovery, Rodriguez was able to participate in sports again. It was a miracle that she could, since her doctor said there was more of a chance for her to not do sports anymore. Her parents did not give up and wanted what was best for their daughter.

She is doing great now, living a happy life, with no troubles.

‘’I didn’t let it bring me down, just thought of it as something that needed to happen so I can become stronger,’’ Rodriguez said.