A young dancer, diagnosed with scoliosis, learns to advocate for herself and build community
Caught during a screening at school, a young dancer's diagnosis of scoliosis led her down a path of self-advocacy.
Maddy Welz always loved to dance. Even before she learned how to tie her own shoes, she was performing pliés and practicing tap steps. But her life changed when she was diagnosed with scoliosis at the age of 14.
Caught during a scoliosis screening at school, the diagnosis was unexpected. “We were really surprised because I had shown no signs of it before,” said Welz, who’s now 16 years old and lives with her family in Boston. After she was referred to an orthopedic surgeon, she found out that she had a moderate scoliosis curve of 45 degrees, which meant that she was recommended to wear a brace to slow the growth of her curve until she reaches skeletal maturity.
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