One question I get asked a lot is: can you recommend a running shoe for scoliosis? My response is always “yes, but…”
Training for Life: Running Through Motherhood and Scoliosis
Whenever someone asks if I’m training for a race, my answer these past few years has been simple—and always the same: Nope, I’m training for life.” And I mean it. Fully. Happily. Without sarcasm or even a hint of longing.
Four Must-Have Travel Items for Managing Scoliosis
I spent a lot of the last 10 months traveling back and forth between Boston and New York City for work and grad school. Traveling with scoliosis and a spinal fusion can be challenging, but with the right tools, staying comfortable and pain-free on the go is much easier. Over the years, I’ve found four... Continue Reading →
The 23-Year Spinal Fusion Appreciation Post
Yesterday was my 23rd spinal fusion-versary. Twenty-three years of living with rods on my spine, holding it straight, keeping the scoliosis curves at bay. While it all seems like a lifetime ago, not a day goes by where I’m not reminded of what I went through—and that, despite surgery, I still have scoliosis. I don't mean... Continue Reading →
Navigating Pregnancy With Scoliosis and a Spinal Fusion
When my husband and I found out we were expecting a baby girl earlier this year, a lot of questions began popping into my head, as I’m sure they do for many first-time parents. Mostly the questions centered around how my back—scoliosis, spinal fusion, and all—would handle the changes my body was about to experience.... Continue Reading →
My Hips Don’t Lie…Until They Do
With each passing year since my spinal fusion (yesterday marks 22!) new aches occasionally pop up reminding me that, while I had corrective surgery, scoliosis is still very much present in my body—and always will be. I’m aware of the usual culprits by now: discomfort on my left side where my upper curve lingers, a... Continue Reading →
I Can’t Feel My Scar
I always reflect on my scoliosis journey on this day—my spinal fusion anniversary. I've been incredibly lucky to do and accomplish so many things over the past 21 years, from running marathons to working as a Disney character to embracing my inner woman of steel and start strength training. And all with metal rods flanking... Continue Reading →
Metal Rods Be Damned: 20 Years Post-Scoliosis Surgery
It's hard to think about what your life will look like in 20 years when you're a 15-year-old with severe scoliosis who's about to go into a life-altering surgery and is more concerned with what your high school basketball career will look like than the road further ahead. But lo and behold, here we are:... Continue Reading →
The Great Golden Spinal Fusion-versary
Today is my back’s “golden birthday”. Nineteen years ago today on February 19, 2001, my life changed forever. Hello, stainless steel surgical rods, meet my scoliotic-ridden spine, of which you’re about to become intimately familiar. I’ve shared my back story many times over the years, from here on my blog to the Children’s Hospital of... Continue Reading →