After 3 surgeries for scoliosis, she started a support group: ‘I was once like you. I can give you some hope’

Extreme scoliosis you press the heart and lungs, and affect their ability to fully functionality, said Liew. After taking her O-Level test, Liew underwent spinal fusion surgery to treat her physical appearance and prevent health issues.

To prevent growth in the unusual segment of the spine and stop the curvature from growing, the surgeons fuse the curved spine ( the bones that stack up to form the backbone ) into a good bone.

This involves placing small pieces of bone in between the bones that are to be fused in a tooth bone. The back is kept in place until the integration occurs through metal rod. After the merging, the shafts are no longer needed, but are not generally removed unless they cause problems.

It was a major procedure, and the 16-year-old was rightly worried.

” Those were the weeks before Twitter. No single we knew had scoliosis”, Liew recalled.

The mother of Liew’s buddy, a friend in her 30s who had had this operation, looked round and discovered her. She met me and assured me that a normal life could be direct after surgery. That gave me a lot of hope and confidence. I knew that I was never alone”, Liew said.

Putting off the concern, she underwent the eight-hour operation.

” I cried post-surgery because of the tremendous pain. I had a sense that something was on my back when I woke up. I could n’t turn. I struggled to breathe. I had to learn how to walk again”, she said.

However, the procedure was powerful and ended her spine to a slight curvature.

” I told myself, this is my career – I am reformed and transformed. This shaft will be my long companion”, she said. ” If you are more accepting of the situation, you will be able to restore faster”.