Carried Great Burdens and Yet She Faces Life with Positivity

Hello, I am Fang (age 30) and I come from a city called Chao Shan. Ever since I was little I was diagnosed with Congenital kyphosis. This means that I have a hunched back. My parent started to notice my hunched back since I was 1, but they did not give it much attention. It was not until I was five when my hunched back became visible. It grew as I grew. My parents took me to Shantou hospital for treatment and the doctors informed us that the surgical treatment is costly and risky. Neither of my parents wanted to take the risk, so they gave up on treatments. As I aged, my back became more and more convex. By the age of 22, I experienced frequent back pain. I visit an orthopedic doctor at a top-three hospital for possible treatments. Yet, the doctor told me that it was useless trying to find a treatment and I should only take medicine to slow down scoliosis's progress. At that moment, I thought I received my "death sentence" of a healthy life.

As time passed by, I accept this ruthless truth and the spinal deformity did not really affect my daily life. From then on, I forced myself to be strong! Because the appearance is different from others, there will always be a little inferiority in the heart.

It was not until 2018 when a client of mine told me that there is an effective treatment at the Sun Yat-Sen University Hospital.

At first, I did not take her words seriously since that doctor (from six years ago) said that there was no treatment. But my client insisted that there was a doctor at the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University who specialized in correcting scoliosis. So, I booked an appointment on the doctor my client has recommended me (with no hopes for a change). Which nothing hopeful came out. One night, I went on the hospital's website and found a page dedicated to Professor Yang Jun Lin. He is an expert at scoliosis surgery and correcting the spinal deformity. So I once again held the attitude of trying to register.

The first time I visited Professor Yang's outpatient clinic, I saw a line of people waiting to see him. He then arranged a series of checkups for me. During the consultation, he told me that I was eligible for operation; but, there was a high degree of risk. In the second consultation on my x-ray, Professor Yang went through the surgical procedure and its risks with me. He then asked me to undergo traction which he gave me reference photos of what this treatment looked like.

I understood that this surgery has its complexity and high risks but my scoliosis has deeply effected my cardiopulmonary function. If I don't treat it now, it may affect my walking ability and my life in the future. I cannot wait any longer. I trusted Professor Yang's expertise and his surgical abilities. I looked forward to correcting my hunched back and scoliosis disease.

However, this surgery poses another dilemma: medical cost. According to Professor Yang, my operation cost would be around 200 000 RMB. To me, this medical cost was out of my family's income. Although I have a reliable job, my salary was 3000 a month. Additionally, I have to support my two younger brothers and a younger sister at school. To cover our daily expenses my parents sell dried fruits. This fee felt like an enormous burden on my family and me.

After Professor Yang understood my financial difficulties, he encouraged me to apply for aids through X-in Miao Charity Funds. This charity financially helps patients (from low income) to cover their medical costs. I saw a silver lining. In January 2018, I applied for X-in Miao Charity Funds. In March, I began X-in Miao Prevention Center's traction treatment to prepare for the scoliosis surgery.

On November 18th, 2018; my hunched back disappeared after long hours of surgery. For the first time, I felt my back is straight. That feeling was unforgettable. Despite this surgery is risky, it was successful thanks to Professor Yang and his surgical team.

I remembered what my mom saying that Professor Yang is my rescuer.

Professor Yang left a strong impression in my mind. While recovering at the hospital, I saw Professor Yang rushing from the airport to the hospital to give me follow-up checks and asking me how I was. At that time, I thought he was very tired. Yet he still went round by round and said a lot of words that encouraged me, which was very touching. After he left, my mom told me "You are in luck, Professor Yang is a good doctor."

Looking back on this experience now, I still feel very lucky to meet Professor Yang and X-in Miao Charity Fund. The charity has helped me solve more than 160,000 medical costs in order to successfully complete the operation. I am very lucky to be where I am right now.

It has now been a year since my surgery, I finally feel like a normal person. I have become confident and optimistic about life.

To all scoliosis patients, do not give up! You must face this disease and with the right doctor, I am sure you can fix the disease through surgery. Believe in the doctor and believe in yourself.

Lastly, I want to tell you that my height grew from 140cm to 158cm after the surgery. Nurses, in the hospital, were happy to see my height growth.

The sun will come out after the storm. I have had a hunched back for 28 years and yet faced life with optimism. We should cheer together and work hard to change our destiny!

Fang (April 2nd, 2020)