Scoliosis never stopped her dreams

14-year-old Iruy has been a patient at Shriners Children’s for a year, a challenging period of her life and that of her family.

At the beginning of 2021 Iruy and her family were diagnosed with Covid and they had a number of X-rays taken. The radiologist told Iruy's parents that she was suffering from scoliosis and that she should begin treatment. “When her scoliosis was detected, we didn’t even know what it was. A doctor from Puebla was our contact with Shriners Children’s“, said Yuridia, Iruy’s mother.

What is scoliosis?

Scoliosis is a progressive deformation of the spine, usually in the shape of a “C” or “S”, instead of a straight line. The curve may worsen over time, becoming more noticeable and causing pain.

Before her diagnosis, Iruy was an accomplished athlete. From a very young age she enjoyed taekwondo and dancing. In taekwondo, she won 11 gold medals in the forms category and three gold medals in the combat category. “Taekwondo is an Olympic sport, but the combat part is much more prominent. If the ‘forms’ category is ever included in the Olympic Games, I would love to participate and take home a gold medal. That is one of my dreams,” said Iruy.