Bent over in the middle of the field hockey field, my lower back is flaming with pain. I keep playing hoping it will go away, hoping it is nothing I need to worry about. My parents can’t have one more thing to handle after both of them battled cancer and my sister’s recovery from getting hit by a car. I had a feeling this wasn’t going to go away, it was so noticeable… the large hump on my back needed to be fixed. I couldn’t take the way I looked anymore. Shirts didn’t look right on my body and I couldn’t suffer through one more game with pounding pain in my back.

As a result, in the spring of 7th grade year had a Vertebral Body Tethering Surgery (VTB). It is a procedure that is relatively new and involved pins in my vertebra tied together with a flexible tether to correct scoliosis. I thought it was an insane operation and was not sure I’d be able to get through it or the recovery.
 

When I was five, the doctors at CHOP diagnosed me with scoliosis, but there was no treatment that fit my case and when I was about 9 they dismissed me from doctor’s care. As I continued to grow, apparently my spine continued to curve very rapidly. When I was 13, I noticed that skirts weren’t even on my hips and I never looked straight in a mirror. I had some pain in my back especially after physical activity. The worst part for me was the protruding bone on the right side of my upper back. I thought everyone could see it, and I couldn't wear certain shirts.

I told my parents, and they took me to a doctor at DuPont. The doctors there told us that I had a 45 degree curve and a rotated spine and our only choice was to have rods put in my back and my vertebra fused when I was 17 years old. This appointment took place on February 2nd, 2015 and with this information my parents had no idea what to do next. With rods in my back, I wouldn’t be able to play any of my sports or be able to complete my activities the way I do now. The fusion would straighten me but I would not be able to bend in any direction.The surgery also involved cutting through muscles in my back and a long recovery. I was horrified listening to my parents ask questions.

Being the amazing parents they are, they had found another doctor that might be able to help. This doctor pioneered the surgery that we ultimately decided to do. I met Dr. Betz on March 17th, 2015 along with his team of surgeons. At the appointment, I had my back X-rayed in five different ways including bending. They also X-rayed my hand which I later learned was to see if I was fully grown. After the doctors looked at the x-rays, they talked to my parents and me about the surgery and how they thought that I was the “perfect candidate” for the VTB surgery. There was a lot to consider. I would only be the 3rd fully grown girl to have the surgery and though the doctors sounded sure, my parents asked a lot of questions. The biggest con was that we are not sure how long the tether will last. Our follow up appointment was a few weeks later after the decision to go for it was made.
 

Looking back I was a big part of making the final decision. The doctor wanted to explain the full procedure to my parents in great detail and asked if I wanted to stay and I said I would be brave and see what was actually going to happen. The doctor gave me another chance to leave as he described the risks but I stayed. At first I thought it was uncomfortable that they were going to cut open my side and go pretty deep in my body and I was scared about what could go wrong with the nerves but the surgeon used very scientific terms and made me feel very sure that he knew what he was doing. Soon after this appointment we got a call to pick the date for the surgery. There was one opening only a month away, my parents and I decided together that sooner was better and we confirmed April 20th, 2015.

After giving blood twice, getting my heart tested, and having a lung test I was ready for the big day. The hospital that the surgeons do the VTB surgery was Mount Sinai in New York City. I can remember being squeezed in the middle of my parents in a dirty smelling taxi at 4 am on that Monday morning. I was holding my mom’s hand really tight as we waited to be called back. I sat in a really uncomfortable chair and looked at all of patients preparing for their surgeries. A  little lady walked in and spoke in a very kind voice, “Riley?” My parents got up before me and I started to walk along with them. She took me into a small room and gave me the clothes I had to wear for my surgery. They also put me in this squishy hospital bed and took my blood one last time.

After waiting what felt like a century, my doctors and some new physicians came in. Dr. Betz introduced me to a couple different doctors that would be in the operating room. One doctor in particular was my anesthesiologist who would keep me asleep until they were done. The anesthesiologist asked me if I wanted to have an IV in my arm before I got into the operating room so I would fall asleep right away or if I wanted to wait and go into the operating room and have a mask over me that would put me asleep. I told myself that I was going to be brave and have a shot in my arm to make me fall asleep before I had to leave my parents. Before he put the shot in he asked what kind of music I would like, and of course, I said Taylor Swift, so he put it on and I kissed my mom and dad and said “You better eat something and not worry about me because I will be perfectly fine.” Then I turned back to the doctor and said I was ready. He put on the song “I Knew You Were Trouble” and said count back from 1000, I started to count, got to the number 996, and I don’t remember a thing that happened after that.
Eight hours later, I was waking up to lots of chaos which was apparently all my surgeons just leaving and my parents and nurses walking in. The first thing I saw was my mom’s little face looking at me with tears in her eyes. I whispered in my raspy voice, “Hi mom. I’m okay, I did it. Don’t worry.” My dad was right behind her and I could tell he was sweating (that’s what he does when he is nervous). I motioned them to come over and they each took one of my hands and kissed my pale and warm face. You would think I was in horrible pain, considering someone just opened up my back, deflated my lung and drilled 9 screws in my spine, I felt nothing. All I knew was that it was going to be hard 5 days in this room.

My parents tell me that all the nurses and doctors commented about my smile, positive attitude and willingness to try whatever they said. I mostly slept and was woken up throughout the day and night for more tests to see how I was doing. My very loving and strong mom stayed with me the whole week and never left my side until I told her that my dad could stay with me so she could go shower and sleep. After 5 days of not eating, throwing up green liquids, and having a chest tube pulled from my stomach while I was awake, I was discharged from Intensive Care and ate something for the first time. I can still taste the saltiness of the soft pretzel my dad got from the hot dog guy in Central Park. I was only in regular hospital care for one night and got to leave New York the next morning. The nurses had gave me a lot of medicine for the ride home so I wouldn’t feel any pain. I don’t clearly remember the ride home but my mom told me that I was very silly and I talked the whole way home about random things. I made it through the car ride with no pain and a smile on my face because I was coming home.

I came home to my best friend, Sami on the front porch holding balloons and once she saw my face all I saw was tears streaming down her face. My mom helped me out of the car and helped my into the house in a comfortable chair that I could stay upright in. Sami followed us in and sat down next me. All she did was look at me and not say anything. I looked at her and smiled. She started to cry, she hugged me, and she said “I’m so proud of you.”
The next week was one of the hardest weeks ever. I got visits from my very close friends and family and tried to be myself when they came over but it was hard to have energy for a long time. I was slowly having less back pains and easier to get around each day but all I wanted to do was get back to my usually self. I had good days and bad days but I had the help of my family to get through everything. Finally in about a month and a half I was back in school and I don’t think I would ever say this but going back to school was one of the biggest goals in my life. My mom and Doctors told me to start with half days and increase a little bit at a time. I went for a half day one day and told my mom that I needed to go for a full days to feel like myself and that is what I did. I decided I was better, stopped taking medicine and haven't looked back. I know looking at the pictures that I was frail and thin and didn't have stamina but it didn't feel like that at the time.

As I gradually got back to my sports and social life, I began to realize that anything is possible. I was put in a situation that I would never think I would get through and I did. My back surgery didn’t only make me straighter or make clothes look the right way on me it also made me stronger and forced me to see that there is only one way to face a challenge. You need to believe you can do it with the love and support of your family and with a POSITIVE ATTITUDE. Challenges can be overcome and a lot can be accomplished. This experience has changed my life making me straighter physically and stronger in every way.

A year later I am bent over on a field hockey field, playing a pain free game, and enjoying every single moment of it. Being back on the field playing my favorite game with some of my favorite people, I couldn’t be a luckier girl than this. I love that I am able to move my back and be my crazy self with a smile on my face. And that is all that matters.