Hi, I'm Shravan Pillai, a 16-year-old student currently in the 11th grade. Approximately a year ago, I was diagnosed with S-curved scoliosis. Thankfully, my spinal curvature is of a moderate degree, and since I've completed my growth, the likelihood of further deterioration is minimal. Nevertheless, I must undergo yearly X-rays to monitor its progression.Recently, my 11-year-old sister was also diagnosed with scoliosis and requires a brace to halt the advancement of her curve. Children like her often wear these braces for a significant portion of the day, spanning several years. These are hard plastic braces covering the entire trunk; wearing them every day can be a major task. While a small percentage may require surgery due to progression, it's a major undertaking with a prolonged recovery period. If left untreated, scoliosis can progress significantly in some kids and can affect their lungs, heart, and other organs.Motivated by personal experience, I've initiated this fundraiser to raise awareness about scoliosis, a condition that has profoundly affected my family. Despite strides in medical science, effective treatments for correcting scoliosis or impeding its progression remain elusive. The funds raised will directly support scoliosis research, offering hope for improved treatments and ultimately enhancing the quality of life for future patients.Thank you for your generosity and support in this crucial endeavor.

Hi! My name is Sofia Musicco, and I want to raise money to support the development of scoliosis research. My journey with scoliosis began in August of 2019, despite having scoliosis since I was born. I was diagnosed with a moderate double curvature shape. Because the double curvature was the same severity in the opposite direction, bracing is not a treatment option due to my spine’s symmetry. That being said, my condition is just not severe enough to be considered for spinal fusion surgery. As a result, I am left to self-treat my scoliosis, with no true end goal or guarantee of progress. While coping with my scoliosis has become more difficult as the pandemic has continued, I know I am only one of many people suffering from the impacts of scoliosis. Please join me in my journey!

Hi! My name is Sophia Lucci. I am 15 years old and a sophomore at Walt Whitman High School. I was diagnosed with Scoliosis at the age of 7. At first, I was terrified of the process and had no idea what scoliosis was. Fortunately, I got put into great hands at the National Scoliosis Center where I received a brace at the aqe of 11. Having to wear the brace affected my everyday life such as activities, hanging out with friends, and even just attending school. Although my brace was something I hated wearing, I realized how privileged I was to afford treatment. Without this treatment, my future would not turn out how I wanted it to. My curve went from a 30 degree to a 16 degree curve in four years. I have now been almost a year brace free, living a healthy, and happy lifestyle. My goal is to raise money for children and teens in desperate need for treatment that may not be able to afford it. The more money and education doctors can receive, the more lives they can save every day. It is time that we raise awareness for scoliosis and set it straight!

Thank you Sophia Lucci for your interest in fundraising for the Setting Scoliosis Straight Foundation! Once you complete the sign up form, you will immediately be ready to start fundraising. Good Luck and Happy Fundraising! >> To personalize your fundraising page, tell your supporters who you are and why you want to help support the Setting Scoliosis Straight Foundation <<

Thank you Soraya Craun for your interest in fundraising for the Setting Scoliosis Straight Foundation! Once you complete the sign up form, you will immediately be ready to start fundraising. Good Luck and Happy Fundraising! >> To personalize your fundraising page, tell your supporters who you are and why you want to help support the Setting Scoliosis Straight Foundation <<

The kid in that picture is me after going through congenital scoliosis correction surgery in July 2014. For people that don’t know what scoliosis is, it is a sideways curvature of the spine. There are many different treatments for scoliosis, but what every patient and family fear of is surgery. The money you donate will go towards advancing treatment options for millions of scoliosis patients worldwide.

Scoliosis can affect the body in unusual ways. From reproductive consequences to lung dysfunction, the widespread impact of scoliosis on your organs may surprise you.Before we look more closely at scoliosis symptoms, let’s quickly review some scoliosis basics.What is Scoliosis?When you were in elementary school, did you ever undergo a scoliosis screening? If you did, then the school nurse probably examined your posture, observing your back as you touched your toes.Little did you know then, but the school nurse was having you perform a classic screener for scoliosis: The Adam’s Forward Bend Test.Specifically, your nurse was looking for evidence of asymmetry in your bodily alignment. Did your hips align? Was one shoulder blade raised higher than the other? Did one side of your ribs protrude unnaturally?All of these indicators can signal the presence of scoliosis, an abnormal sideways curvature in the spine.To explain why this is so problematic, let’s first correct a commonly held misconception:Your spine isn’t perfectly straight.This may come as a surprise, especially if your elders always warned you to “Stand up straight!”In reality, your spine contains a series of gentle curves. When viewed from the side, the spine should contain a slight forward curve in the upper back and a subtle indentation in the lower spine. However, when seen from the back, the spine should appear perfectly straight.In individuals with scoliosis, an S-shaped curve appears where it should not—snaking from the left to the right side of the torso (or vice versa).Determining the Severity of Your ScoliosisExactly how much deviation from “perfect” do doctors consider abnormal?Anything more than 10 degrees from a “typical” position. Additionally, you may hear your doctor refer to this amount of deviation as the Cobb angle.For curves measuring more than 40 degrees, the spine may require surgery to realign.As the Cobb angle increases, the impact on non-skeletal organs also increases. For example, a patient with a 70-degree Cobb angle may experience cardiac symptoms, digestive interruption, and more.Without further delay, let’s examine how scoliosis can affect our bodies.1. It causes visible skeletal deformities.Remember the Adam’s Forward Bend Test? It has been the gold standard for early scoliosis detection since 1865.Why is it so effective?Because scoliosis is so visible to the naked eye.First and foremost, scoliosis affects the body by creating obvious asymmetries in the skeletal system. For example, common external signs of scoliosis include:Uneven eye tiltUneven slanting of the shoulders from left to rightA single shoulder blade protrudes more prominentlyRibs stick out on one side of the bodyTorso leans more in one directionUnbalanced hip alignmentInconsistency between leg lengthsClothing hangs askew on the body2. It interferes with signals from your nervous system.When your spine curves abnormally to one side, it compresses nerves along the inner curve and stretches them along the outer.As a result, your nerves struggle to conduct important signals regarding sensation to and from your extremities.Have you ever experienced an icy-hot or tingling sensation in your arms or legs? We can liken this pins-and-needles sensation to the radio static caused by interference from poor weather conditions. Just as lighting interrupts radio reception, so too can scoliosis disrupt signals from the body to the brain.The result? A form of radiating pain known as radiculopathy.Aside from tingling pain, radiculopathy can affect both fine and gross motor control. (Fine motor control involves using small muscles to complete intricate tasks like snapping Legos together. In contrast, gross motor control involves recruiting your large muscle groups to complete big-movement tasks like jogging.)In particularly severe cases, radiculopathy can also affect the nerves that control your bowels and bladder, resulting in incontinence.3. It results in painful muscular imbalances.Scoliosis can arise from a variety of causes—most of which are unknown (or idiopathic). Individuals with idiopathic scoliosis often over-compensate for their postural imbalances by using their muscles in unintended ways.In a vicious cycle, improper muscle use leads to even worse posture and, ultimately, chronic back pain.Unlike individuals with idiopathic scoliosis, patients with neuromuscular scoliosis have underlying disorders that affect the spine. These conditions—such as cerebral palsy, spina bifida, and spinal cord injuries—cause the muscles to pull against the spine or go completely slack. Over time, these muscular imbalances can result in scoliosis.4. It prevents CSF from recirculating to your brain.We all know that spinal issues, particularly those that affect the neck (or cervical spine), can cause headaches. Those pesky muscular imbalances that we discussed in the previous section? Specifically, these can result in tension headaches.However, scoliosis patients face an additional challenge. Scoliosis prevents the recirculation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) to your brain. Reduced levels of CSF in the brain can intensify a simple tension headache into a full-blown migraine.5. It interrupts your digestive processes.Whenever your spine deviates from its normal position, it takes up prime real estate that would otherwise be reserved for your organs.Who typically loses out? Often, the primary players in your digestive system—the esophagus, stomach, and intestines—suffer the consequences.Here’s why.Digestion begins in the mouth with chewing and then swallowing. The muscular tube of your esophagus then conducts the ingested food from your mouth to your stomach. However, in individuals with severe scoliosis, the facial muscles that enable chewing can suffer dysfunction. Likewise, the abnormal curvature of the neck can constrict the esophagus, making it difficult to swallow.Let’s move further along your digestive tract.Next, your stomach and small intestines break down complex molecules (i.e., foods) into their constituent nutrients. Essential nutrients pass from the small intestine to the bloodstream via a process called absorption. Unnecessary byproducts travel onward to the large intestine, which directs their excretion.That is, when everything goes according to plan.Compression of the stomach and intestines due to scoliosis can result in the following digestive issues:Failure to adequately absorb essential nutrientsPainful build-up of stomach acid, resulting in acid reflux and nauseaFeeling full before your nutritional needs are metIrritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)ConstipationWeight loss6. It compromises the female reproductive system.This is the classic “which came first – the chicken or the egg” dilemma.We know that adolescent females with scoliosis are more likely to experience their first menstrual cycle later than their peers. Evidence also suggests that scoliosis is associated with irregular periods.However, some researchers now believe that low levels of certain female hormones—particularly progesterone—may actually cause scoliosis.This may explain why adolescent idiopathic scoliosis is ten times more common in girls than in boys.7. It reduces your cardiac output and respiratory capacity.Scoliosis can interfere with your ability to take full, deep breaths.This is especially true for individuals who have severe scoliosis curves measuring more than 80 degrees.Why?Because your ribs attach to your spine. When your spine rotates, it forces your ribs to contort in unusual ways.Externally, this manifests as what doctors refer to as a unilateral rib prominence (or a one-sided rib hump). Internally, the rib cage cannot expand fully enough to deliver an adequate oxygen supply to the lungs. As a result, an individual may feel chronically short of breath.Similarly, severe scoliosis can reduce your cardiac output. Just as the lungs require room to expand, the heart also requires space to beat. In the most severe cases, this can lead to premature heart failure. More often, this causes the heart to work harder than is strictly necessary and results in mitral valve prolapse.8. It can impair your mental health.Because scoliosis results in visible spinal deformities, it can negatively affect your body image, and accordingly, your mental health. In fact, studies reveal that individuals with scoliosis experience elevated levels of:AnxietyDepressionAnger and aggressionReduced self-esteemRisk-taking and rule-breakingNegative body image and body dysmorphiaEating disordersIncreased suicidality and self-harmA total body approach to addressing scoliosis, therefore, should promote self-love and self-care. Ask your doctor to connect you with resources for safeguarding your mental health.>> To personalize your fundraising page, tell your supporters who you are and why you want to help support the Setting Scoliosis Straight Foundation <<

My name Is Taylor Wells and I am reaching out to you today to ask for your help in raising funds for the Setting Scoliosis Straight Foundation. As someone who personally suffers from scoliosis, this cause is very important to me.

I am Taylor Schneider, and I am Miss Metropolitan's Outstanding Teen 2022! My Social Impact Initiative is Scoliosis Awareness, and I am hoping to use my platform to support the Setting Scoliosis Straight Foundation. Scoliosis research is critical to advancing treatment in spinal deformities, and the funds raised will support the treatment of Scoliosis in children and adolescents around the world. Scoliosis Awareness is extremely important to me and my family. At the age of six, I was diagnosed with Scoliosis, and I have been wearing a Boston Brace every night since! To date, my Scoliosis treatment has been successful and surgery has been avoided; I am incredibly thankful that I can continue doing everything I love, including dancing, skiing, and golfing. Not only am I extremely grateful for the expertise of my doctor, Dr. Randal Betz, MD, at the Institute for Spine & Scoliosis, but also for the clinical research that improves the lives of kids who are living with Scoliosis. My aunt had metal rod spinal fusion thirty years ago, and it is amazing how much more advanced procedures have become; as result of funding and research, spinal surgery improves lives with flexibility and mobility. Between now and the Miss New Jersey's Outstanding Teen Competition, please help me reach or exceed my goal; your donation will support discoveries that will change the lives of children and teens living with Scoliosis and other spinal deformities!

Thank you Usman Khalil for your interest in fundraising for the Setting Scoliosis Straight Foundation! Once you complete the sign up form, you will immediately be ready to start fundraising. Good Luck and Happy Fundraising! >> To personalize your fundraising page, tell your supporters who you are and why you want to help support the Setting Scoliosis Straight Foundation <<

Hi! My name is Usman. I am a scoliosis patient. My age is 19. My spine is severely curved. I belongs to poor family that's why I can't get treatment of scoliosis. Please donate at least 5$ my goal is 10000$. I hope you can do it . Help me so I can live a happy life. Regards! >> To personalize your fundraising page, tell your supporters who you are and why you want to help support the Setting Scoliosis Straight Foundation <<

Thank you Your Scolio Sis for your interest in fundraising for the Setting Scoliosis Straight Foundation! Once you complete the sign up form, you will immediately be ready to start fundraising. Good Luck and Happy Fundraising! As someone who struggled with scoliosis all their life and recently got a spinal fusion, I thought it would be important to give back to others who are battling the same struggles I did to raise awareness for scoliosis. Having scoliosis is terrible and brings many changes to your life-I know first hand. Please consider donating to help aid in the cause towards scoliosis research to help those who are striving to find more cures.