I’m back from Phoenix, Arizona, where I had my fourth Schroth therapy session for scoliosis, and my goodness, the heat was awful! I would have loved to blog about my experiences daily while there, but I didn’t have the access to a computer I needed in which to blog. As a southern girl from Georgia, used to humidity, the “dry heat” was horrendous. Of course my mother and I were inauspicious enough to land our therapy appointments in May with 108 degree weather. My physical therapists, Elizabeth Garrett DPT and Nancy McVeigh PT at the Phoenix Scoliosis Rehab location, were wonderful as usual! For those of you who don’t know, Scoliosis Rehab also has a location in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, to which I have also been, which is where I saw Beth Janssen PT and Patti Orthwein PT. Beth is who started Scoliosis Rehab after learning the Schroth therapy method. Unlike the other trips, which focused on teaching me new Schroth exercises, this trip was focused on critiquing the current exercises while adding only two new ones.
The week started out with us packing and finishing school to get ready to fly out on Sunday, May 20, which, by the way, was my 14th birthday! Once Sunday came, my mom and I finished packing our personal items and headed to the minivan with my dad and nine year old brother. They were taking us to the Atlanta Airport. Our flight landed that night in Phoenix at 9:00pm. And for that reason I had a 27 hour birthday! Because of the time difference, it was already 12:00 am at home on the east coast, but in the Pacific Coast time zone, I still had three more hours to celebrate!
I knew I was in for it because I was already perspiring during the small jaunt outside to the car rental bus. After we got our car, we headed to the hotel to spend the night. The next morning, still on east coast time, we woke up at 6a.m. I wasn’t due to therapy until 12 noon Pacific Time so my mom and I decided to take advantage of the free time we had before the true fun of the week began. We stayed at the Hilton located at the airport and due to our location at the time we decided that the Phoenix Zoo would be a great side trip since it is also located near the airport. We checked out of the hotel and were at the zoo when they opened at 9a.m. We were already sweating!!! I am a photo bug so, of course, my camera was in hand. I got some great shots before even entering the zoo, of the mountains that are around Phoenix. They are gorgeous, but very different from our mountains in Georgia, which are loaded with green trees and bushes. For their mountains to be almost totally bare, they are still beautiful. The difference in the landscapes of just our country alone reminds me of the depth of God’s creativity.
The Phoenix Zoo is unique in comparison to the Atlanta Zoo in that they only have animals from around the world that are native to their type of dry and hot climate. Of course, I took many pictures of these animals. My special picture was of my favorite land animal, the cheetah. I have loved and admired the cheetah all my life. This was my first time of getting to see one in person, and it truly was special. They have two male cheetahs that are fully grown. I had two “aha” moments while at the zoo that I shared with my mother. I would like to share it with you as well. Although I have read many books, watched plenty of documentaries where I have seen loads of pictures of cheetahs, the thought came to me while looking at them in person. As you probably know, all cheetahs are individually unique from all other cheetahs, in that their spots are unique to themselves, making each an original. I thought how true this is of scoliosis. We who suffer from scoliosis know that we are also unique in the sense that it can strike us all at different ages growing up. My curve is probably very different from yours. Mine might be stopped with treatment, or it might continue to develop into adulthood. The only thing we have in common is that we all will live with it for the rest of our lives. Spots make cheetahs alike just like they make them different. As they roamed their expanse of land, you could see the strength behind the relaxation. I feel I am a stronger person also for the experience I have endured, and not just physically, from my therapy and brace, but I think I am emotionally stronger.
As I mentioned, I had two “aha” moments while at the zoo. The other came as I was looking at the giraffe. He has such a long spine. He was standing so regally straight with his neck stretched tall and long so as to eat leaves off a tree. I wondered what he would look like, if he had my diagnosis, as he stood with such great posture. I don’t know if you know or not, but the giraffe is the animal that the zebra, gazelle, etc. look towards for a sign of danger in the wild. Since they are so tall they can see the predators before the other animals can, so they are their guardian angel in a way. When the giraffe begins running, the other animals know they must take off running as well. It made me ponder the thought of how nice it would be if people with scoliosis had someone or something that could warn us of our impending change in our spine so we could seek help at the earliest possible notice. We all know the earlier we seek help, the better for us, as our curves in our scoliosis spines can change quickly. It is not the type of medical condition that you wait and think about, for as you are waiting, it can be worsening. It is a scary time when you are diagnosed and you are not sure which way to turn. It is not like the flu, where a doctor knows just what to do, and you will be over it soon. I know I am a cheetah with my own individual scoliotic spots, but I am strengthening myself physically, emotionally and spiritually, so I can deal with whatever my scoliosis throws my way. It is a club I was forced to join and truthfully one I wish I didn’t have to, but since I am a lifetime member, I plan on making the best of it for myself and others by educating myself mentally and physically. I do, however, wish I had had a giraffe peering out for the dangers that came my way on this journey. The more I looked at these two creatures I knew that I wanted to be like both, myself. I have no choice in my scoliosis like the cheetah has no choice in his spots, but they are still beautiful creatures working very hard to carve out their survival in this big world, which is what I am trying to do each day on my scoliosis journey as a teenager. I do have a choice in that I want to be a giraffe and warn others of the dangers and signals of scoliosis. If I can help others, it is my way in thanking all of the wonderful people my mom and I have met along the way that have helped me find what works for my particular scoliosis. So I hope you will come back and read my blog as I post new happenings, and maybe it will be helpful for you, too.
Dancing Around Scoliosis 