Meet Kyah, a patient who was seen by our scoliosis and spine experts. Learn more about her journey below.

Blogs written by Kyah and her dad, Chris. 

Hey, it’s Kyah. I have scoliosis and had spine surgery at Scottish Rite for Children. When I found out I was going to need surgery, I had just been named the starting setter on my volleyball team. I really didn’t want to miss our season, but Dr. Brooks told me that if I worked really hard in my recovery, I would be able to play the next season. 

When I think about it, surgery never really scared me.

I was more upset about not getting to play volleyball or be in band or do color guard. When I had my surgery, everyone at Scottish Rite made sure I was comfortable and had lots of things to entertain me. And, they made sure I always had plenty to eat! Dr. Brooks and Nurse Sarah helped make my experience and recovery really nice. Sarah was super sweet and kept my dad and me informed if anything about my surgery ever changed. My child life specialist answered all of my questions and helped me not be nervous about what was going to happen. 

During my recovery, I hated it when other people treated me like I couldn't do anything or that I was helpless. Looking forward to winter color guard season, summer workouts and my volleyball season made me work 100 times harder to get back to doing what I love.  

I’m so thankful for all the support and care I received at Scottish Rite. Plus, I’m now cleared for sports! - Kyah 
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Kyah was born in Oklahoma, but we moved to Texas when she was 2 years old. She started taking dance classes and gymnastics lessons when she was 6 years old. She did a couple years of competitive dance, and throughout the years, she made a lot of friends and was great at helping the younger girls. She loves school and is an excellent student. When she was in fifth grade, she started doing cheerleading. It’s always been just the two of us, and she even convinced me to help coach her cheer group.  

Before entering the seventh grade, Kyah was having her sports physical, and that is when the doctor noticed that her spine was curved. They sent us to Dallas to have her back checked out by Dr. Brooks at Scottish Rite for Children. After her exam, he told us that her spine was pretty curved, and she would need surgery. Kyah was active in dance, volleyball and band, so she was concerned about being able to participate in her activities, following her surgery.

Dr. Brooks was great and spent time talking with Kyah, letting her know what was going to happen and what surgery recovery would be like. 

The day before surgery we did her pre-op appointments, and she was able to spend time with Dr. Brooks, his nurse and the child life specialist. Our nurse and child life specialist became very important to Kyah, and they had such a positive impact on our experience. Kyah was never really scared to have the surgery. She just worried about when she could begin doing her previous activities. 

Following her surgery, she worked incredibly hard. At times her recovery was tough, but now she is doing great. She missed a couple of weeks of school, but she is now back in class and participating in band, color guard and even volleyball. - Chris 
 

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