Curvy Girls is a national peer support group for girls with scoliosis and Oklahoma City’s chapter recently got a new leader. Sydney Borchardt is a Moore 13-year-old who found out she had scoliosis when she was 10. She wore a brace for a year and a half and endured another six months of special therapies before having surgery earlier this year.
Her diagnosis was difficult at first, she said, because she didn’t know much about scoliosis and didn’t know anyone else with the condition. Scoliosis is a common spine condition often found in adolescents. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, roughly three million new cases of the condition are diagnosed in the United States each year, with a majority of them identified as idiopathic scoliosis — a type of scoliosis that presents in children between 10 to 12 years old.
It wasn’t until after her surgery that Borchardt decided to seek out peers for support. She came across Curvy Girls and realized it might be a good way to connect and help others.
“I met Emily Campbell, the previous leader of the group, and she helped me so much,” Borchardt said. “She mentored me a lot and asked me to take over the chapter and so I did.”
Borchardt’s responsibilities so far include representing Oklahoma at the national Curvy Girls convention and delivering a care package to a local girl after her spinal fusion.
“Probably like a lot of kids, I was used to doing things for myself,” she said. “The hardest part was needing help bending down and doing things. When you have a brace and you need surgery, you need a lot of help and that’s hard. But it’s impacted me because now I can help others and that’s a great feeling.”
To learn more about Curvy Girls and get involved with the local chapter, visit www.curvygirlsscoliosis.com/oklahoma.
