I was talking to my husband last night about being a "scoli survivor," to which he replied, "no, you're a scoli sufferer. Survivors are people who have conquered cancer, for example." While I completely agree that people who overcome diseases which can lead to death are survivors in the most literal sense, we scolis are also survivors.
I am a survivor because:
I came out of my teenage years with a sense of self esteem and became a strong young woman despite the teasing from peers about my scoliosis, the rude comments, and the awkward situations.
I finally learned that scoliosis does not define who you are, but can make you a much more compassionate and understanding person.
I learned to be strong after every x-ray that showed more and more progression and believed that I would overcome it.
I've spent the last 15 years living with pain every single day of my life and have not let it define me or stop me from doing most things I want to do. Most people cannot understand that.
I cried for 3 months after finally realizing it was surgery time. I took my time to grieve for what I then considered my "failed hardwork" for the last 15 years, and then acknowledged that this surgery was going to change my life for the better.
I waited over a year for this surgery, which was one of the most emotionally difficult times of my life, but by the time surgery came around, I was absolutely prepared and felt strong.
I spent 10 days in the hospital having procedures done to me with so much pain that I don't even want to write about them here.
I can't tell you how much I've been through physically (and emotionally) over the last 9 weeks (but I'm sure you fellow scolis understand). It takes a survivor to wake up every morning and battle the daily tasks that were once so easy and now you have to relearn and take at least twice as long.
There have been many times in the past 9 weeks where I've felt like giving up from the pain and the trials of recovery, but I have not and I've gone ahead and now smile at how far I've come.
That's just a few reasons why I and my other fellow scolis are survivors.
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2 comments:
Believe it - you're a survivor!
You are so right. I'm sure your husband meant well, but people who haven't been through it just don't fully understand. As we well know, scoliosis can be a painful, debilitating, deforming disease. The psychological tolls can be as bad or worse than the physical ones. You are a survivor for the reasons you mentioned and for obstacles you will face and overcome along the road to recovery.
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