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The doctor looked me in the eye and told me that the curve in my spine had gotten worse. I was going to have to wear a brace for 22 hours a day to keep it from progressing. I cried. My mother cried.

For the next six years, I wore my brace faithfully. It wasn’t easy. Sitting behind a desk at school all day long was difficult. Sleeping in my brace was a whole separate issue.

After six long years of wearing a back brace, my spine stabilized at 27 degrees. My four braces, each representing a challenge I was able to overcome, remind me that I was never broken, just bent.