When Life Throws You a Curve: One Girl's Triumph over Scoliosis

by Elizabeth Golden

At age 13, the last thing Elizabeth Golden wanted was to be singled out. A typical seventh grader in her school in Philadelphia, Elizabeth s world was filled with best friends who made her laugh, schoolwork, and sports. Then, during a routine check-up, her doctor found two curves in her spine. Elizabeth had Scoliosis and was instantly different from her classmates. Elizabeth was told she needed surgery and she kept a memoir throughout her operation and long recuperative period. Recognizing that not every teenager facing major surgery will have the benefit of the support system she had including family members who have been through the surgery themselves Elizabeth turned her memoir into a book to help others. In When Life Throws You a One Girl s Triumph over Scoliosis, Elizabeth tells what it was like, including her fears, the pain, and the triumphs. Once fearful about whether she would be able to walk without pain, Elizabeth emerged from her experience to become a nationally-ranked squash player and a varsity tennis player. Elizabeth found that surgery and recuperation gave her more than a straighter The scar running down her back is a symbol of an experience that has made her more determined and focused.

132 pages, Paperback

First published June 9, 2008

Reviews

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Life Throws You a Curve is a very informational book about Scoliosis and provides insight into what a person with scoliosis goes through. In the book, Elizabeth Golden talks about her experience with scoliosis as a young girl, and goes over the struggles and hardships she had to deal with during that time in her life. When Life Throws You a Curve is very touching and inspiring and provided me a lot of information for my Senior Capstone Project. In it, Golden recounted exactly how scoliosis affected her life day to day, and how it completely changed her life when looking at the big picture. Before she got surgery, Elizabeth Golden tried every method of reducing her curve possible in order to try to avoid surgery. She recounts her experiences with all of these methods including going to a Chiropractor and massage therapist, and doing special exercises. All of these methods are ones that I will be researching for my project and it was helpful to learn that even after countless tries, none of these methods ended up being successful for her. Ultimately, Elizabeth Golden had to have the surgery, and in this book she gives insight into what the surgery and recovery is like, and the physical, emotional, and social effects scoliosis and spinal fusion have on those who have to go through it. This book is very inspiring and tells the story of Elizabeth as she endured the toughest battle of her life and talks about how she was able to use her struggles to change her life. I will definitely be able to use a lot of this information for my senior capstone project. I will especially use the experiences she had in trying to find other alternatives to surgery, and talk about how the most effective treatment for Scoliosis is spinal fusion.