After his scoliosis progressed to more than 120 degrees, a teenager from Jamaica traveled to Dallas for complex spine care that changed his life and gave him confidence for the future.

Kemar was young when his mother, Ashwin, noticed something different about her son.

“I went to my sister and said, ‘Kemar’s back doesn’t look right to me,’” Ashwin says. Her sister suggested she take Kemar to a doctor. It was the beginning of a journey that would eventually take Ashwin and 17-year-old Kemar more than 1,500 miles from their home in Jamaica to Scottish Rite for Children in Dallas.

Kemar has Marfan syndrome, a genetic disorder that affects the body’s connective tissue, which provides strength and support throughout the body. The condition can affect several parts of the body, including the heart, blood vessels, eyes, bones and joints.

For Kemar, one of its most visible effects was severe scoliosis, a sideways curvature of the spine. As he grew, so did the curve in his back. Eventually, scoliosis affected more than Kemar’s spine. It shaped what he felt comfortable doing, how other children treated him and how he saw himself. Ashwin remembers him wanting to play cricket, a beloved sport in Jamaica.

“Remember, I say, you can’t play cricket because of your back,” she says.

It was one of the many ways Kemar’s condition kept him on the sidelines during a time in his life when he simply wanted to play with other children. By the time pediatric orthopedic surgeon Jaysson T. Brooks, M.D., met him, Kemar rarely said anything.

“He looked like a kid who had not gone outside much because of what scoliosis did to his overall psychology of how he felt about himself,” Dr. Brooks says.

Kemar also became increasingly self-conscious about his appearance. He told his care team that other children picked on him because of his back. He expressed one wish. “I would like to be fixed and be normal like others,” he says. “Straighter.”

A Complex Curve

When Dr. Brooks first evaluated Kemar, the curve in his spine measured more than 120 degrees. Treating a spinal curve of that magnitude would be complex. Attempting to correct too much, too quickly, could put Kemar’s spinal cord at risk. The goal was never a perfectly straight spine.

“When you have a curve that’s around 120 degrees, it is very challenging to get the curve down to zero degrees, so therefore our goal is to get a straighter spine without stretching out the spinal cord too much and causing paralysis,” Dr. Brooks says.

Dr. Brooks and the multidisciplinary team at Scottish Rite had to determine how much correction they could safely achieve while giving Kemar a more balanced posture and a healthier future.

“Kids with Marfan syndrome can oftentimes get humongous curves in their spine,” Dr. Brooks says. “We realized his curve was not only 120 degrees, but it was rigid, meaning it was very stiff. So that syndrome adds a bit more complexity.”

Before surgery, Kemar’s spine needed time to become more flexible. His next step would not take place in an operating room. It would take place in a halo.

Preparing for Surgery

For four months, Kemar underwent halo-gravity traction, a treatment that uses a lightweight metal ring, or halo, secured to the skull and connected to a pulley system. Gently and gradually increasing traction helps stretch and lengthen the spine over time.

For children and adolescents with severe spinal curves, halo traction can help improve spinal alignment before surgery while allowing the body to adjust gradually.

The process made a significant difference. His curve decreased from more than 120 degrees to approximately 90 degrees.

It was progress, but 90 degrees was still an exceptionally large curve.

“We knew there were still going to be challenges,” Dr. Brooks says. “I knew I was going to need to loosen up a lot of different parts of his spine to get it straighter. That can cause added issues in a kid with Marfan syndrome.”

Success would not be measured by getting Kemar’s spine to zero degrees. It would be measured by making the safest possible correction without jeopardizing his neurological function.

The Operation

The surgery took seven hours. When it was over, Kemar’s spinal curve measured about 40 degrees.

The change was dramatic, but the numbers tell only part of the story. Kemar’s new spinal alignment could help him stand more comfortably and gave him a better foundation for the years ahead. For a teenager who had spent much of his childhood conscious of what his back prevented him from doing, the operation also opened the door to something less measurable — confidence. In a letter to Dr. Brooks, Kemar put into words what the experience meant to him.

“Thanks to Dr. Brooks for helping me take a big step toward my healthier, more comfortable life,” he wrote. “I’m happy.”

For Dr. Brooks, the letter carried significant meaning.

A Connection Close to Home

Kemar and Dr. Brooks were connected by more than medicine.

Dr. Brooks’ father is from Jamaica, and his mother’s family is from Carriacou, an island that is part of Grenada. His Caribbean heritage made caring for a teenager who had traveled from Jamaica especially personal.

“I find joy in helping kids from all over,” Dr. Brooks says. “It does feel a bit more impactful when you’re helping people that could be part of your same ancestry. If not for a couple of different life circumstances, I could be that kid in Jamaica with scoliosis with no opportunities to get my spine fixed.”

Their connection only deepened as Dr. Brooks observed a change in Kemar after surgery. The teenager who had once spoken so little began opening up.

“Kemar said more words to me after his spine surgery than I had heard him say for the two years I’ve known him,” Dr. Brooks says. “He was becoming more self-confident.”

Standing Taller

Back in Jamaica and 18 years old, Kemar began 11th grade.

In photos from his return to school, the physical transformation is unmistakable. He stands noticeably straighter than the teenager who first arrived at Scottish Rite.

But, his care team sees more than the change in his posture. They see a young man who talks more, a teenager who carries himself with greater confidence and a student who looks ahead to a future that is not defined by the curve in his spine.