From one scoliosis warrior to another

Twelve-year-old Lucy had never heard of the word scoliosis until her world was flipped upside down in May last year, when she was diagnosed with the condition.

Scoliosis is a side-to-side curvature of the spine where curves can progress rapidly, especially during the adolescent growth spurt.

The diagnosis meant Lucy was required to start wearing a brace every day to treat her curvature, with the brace helping to hold her spine in a corrected position.

While the diagnosis was daunting, Lucy wasn’t going to let it define her, instead putting her focus into helping other kids like her by raising money to purchase and gift scoliosis patients with a Higgy Bear.

Higgy Bears are a very special stuffed animal, designed in America specifically for kids with scoliosis. The bears have a bright coloured back brace which is the same as what scoliosis patients receive during their treatment. 

Each bear comes with a special bag of goodies including a letter written from Lucy about her journey, a scoliosis x-ray, poems written by people with scoliosis, and a wristband saying, “Bent not Broken”.

Within the first few weeks, Lucy had raised five times her initial goal and has continued to be overwhelmed by the support of the community.

“I remember how daunting it was when I was diagnosed with scoliosis and when I found out I needed to wear a brace for the first time. I wanted to be able to help other kids going through a similar experience to make them feel like they aren’t alone.”

The bears are like a best friend and something to make them feel more comfortable in themselves. I specifically selected bears with braces that patients at the hospitals wear so they could have a bear with the same colour brace,” Lucy said.

Mum, Elsa is beyond proud of how her daughter has dealt with the situation, turning a negative into a positive. She explained how Lucy organised everything herself, from contacting the supplier in America to choosing the correct bears and coordinating them to be delivered to the hospitals.

“It’s wonderful what Lucy has done and to see the impact she is making is incredible. It speaks a lot to who she is as a person. Her positivity and her spirit are amazing, I know from this experience she will be able to overcome adversity and be resilient in whatever comes along in her life,” Elsa said.

The bears are being handed out to patients when they come in for their appointments to take to their new home with their new best friends. And Lucy isn’t stopping here, she is continuing to raise money so she purchase Higgy Bears for even more kids.