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| Shae Smith - Miss. Springfield Outstanding Teen 2018 "Confidently Curvy" Scoliosis Fashion Show Video |
I recently had the opportunity to attend the Confidently Curvy Scoliosis Fashion Show in Springfield, Missouri - Presented by Shae Smith, with guest speaker Dr. Clayton Stitzel.
Shae recently teamed up with Dillard’s and organized the “Confidently Curvy” fashion show featuring girls with Scoliosis, and a special appearance by Dr. Stitzel. Girls from MO and AR spent the day shopping, having makeovers and modeling. Shae says, "I want other girls, whether they have a rib deformity, crooked spine, scar or wear a brace, to feel beautiful in their own skin. Yes, we are unique and battle a lot of pain, but we don’t need to hide it".
This was a wonderful event! I can personally relate, and love Shae's message. For years I hid my condition behind baggie clothes - never talking about it! 3 years ago I began treatment and made a statement to - HIDE NO MORE!
Check Out the Fashion Show Video Here!
Video Interview with ScoliSMART Dr. Clayton Stitzel prior to Fashion show
Before the fashion show I had the opportunity to interview Dr. Clayton Stitzel at The Bass Pro Shop in Springfield, MO. about rehab scoliosis treatment and new advancements in treatment.
Shae's Scoliosis Story & Mission
From a young age I have been highly involved in modeling,
sports and pageantry. I was always the
little girl who hit the stage with a big smile and couldn’t stop dancing. By the age of nine I was walking the runway,
dancing competitively, playing on a traveling softball team, and representing
Missouri at a national pageant. Always
active and outgoing, I had so many plans for my future, but at the age of 11 is
when I received my diagnosis. At my
checkup I was asked to bend over and it was the first time my mom had seen the
rib hump on my back. It caught us both
by surprise! I was immediately sent for
x-ray and told I had a 19 degree thoracic Scoliosis curve.
I was sent to an Orthopaedic specialist who told me the only
thing I could do is wait and watch. I
went about my life as always thinking it was something minor and chances were
it would not progress. Boy, was I
wrong! Five months later I went for a
checkup and my curve was now 35 degrees and I was told I had to be fitted for a
brace. I was trying my best to be brave
and had the doctor make me a pink brace so that I could show it off, but when
that day came I was an emotional wreck.
The doctor put the brace on me, tightened the straps to where they
needed to be, marked them with a black marker for me to know where to stop, and
I instantly couldn’t breathe. The tears
started slowly falling down my face as I stood there looking at myself in the
mirror as though I was watching someone else.
I lost a piece of myself that day and for weeks to come I couldn’t smile
or be the bubbly person I truly was.
Six months into wearing the brace it was becoming a constant
struggle at school and with the number of sports I was involved in. It was uncomfortable at school, I tried to
hide it with baggy clothes and I cried every night. My checkup also revealed that it was only
getting worse. The doctor started
talking surgery, but my mom didn’t want to accept that. If you know my mom, you know she is my
momager and always looking out for me.
She went on a desperate search and found a non-invasive clinic called
ScoliSMART. My first visit to the clinic
in Pennsylvania to see Dr. Stitzel was three years ago and I still go there for
six month checkups. I have rehab and
exercises I perform daily that have kept my curve from progressing even through
my growth spurts. Most importantly, I am
myself again! I am that happy girl that
is living out her dream of dance, modeling and competing in pageants.
I currently have the title of Miss Springfield’s Outstanding
Teen and will compete for Miss Missouri’s Outstanding Teen in June. I have had the privilege of combining my
passion of pageantry with my Scoliosis journey to make a difference in the
lives of so many other girls like myself.
My personal platform is “Catching the Curve: Advocating for Early Stage Idiopathic
Scoliosis Detection.” I have spent the
last several months making many strides in the State of MO and beyond to
increase Scoliosis awareness and help build the self-confidence of other
Scoliosis warriors. I have helped raise
money for Shriner’s Hospitals, talked to area schools, visited with Missouri’s
Lieutenant Governor, filed Senate Resolution No. 1 for a Scoliosis awareness
day in the state, and created a website www.catchingthecurve.com.
I also recently teamed up with Dillard’s and organized the
“Confidently Curvy” fashion show featuring girls with Scoliosis, and a special
appearance by Dr. Stitzel. We had girls from MO and AR who spent the day
shopping, having makeovers and modeling.
I want other girls, whether they have a rib deformity, crooked spine,
scar or wear a brace, to feel beautiful in their own skin. Yes, we are unique and battle a lot of pain,
but we don’t need to hide it. I was that
girl and I wish I would have had others telling me that it was okay and to know
I was not alone. My ultimate goal as
Miss Springfield’s Outstanding Teen is to increase awareness, encourage parents
to check their kids often, know that there are other non-invasive approaches to
Scoliosis, and to show other girls that no matter what challenges they have in
life, they can still reach for their dreams and they are not alone. We are stronger together!!
Shae is currently raising funds for The Crooked Life Foundation (charity providing Scoliosis Activity Suits to patients who cannot afford them) through this t-shirt fundraiser.
Order or Donate Here
Order or Donate Here
About this campaign
Please consider purchasing a shirt and sharing this inspirational quote with others. We can all relate to this statement in many areas of our lives. You can follow the pages below for updates and you can even see who benefits from your generosity. Marce Kuhns, President of The Crooked Life Foundation, started this mission to help others and we need to keep it going!
As Miss Springfield's Outstanding Teen, my goal is to advocate for early detection and prevention of progressive spinal deformity. Diagnosed at the age of 11 with Idiopathic Scoliosis, I personally know the physical, emotional and mental effect of this disorder.I have been fortunate enough to find ScoliSMART!! Awareness is crucial, and I am using my platform to be the voice for scoliosis warriors. Scoliosis does not have to stop us from doing what we love and I am living proof. The activity suit allows a kid to still be a kid, and adults to live pain free. Join me and let's help others!!
ABOUT THIS BLOG & OTHER LINKS
Subscribing to this blog from your phone: Click on "View web version" at the bottom of the blog and submit your email address at the top of the screen.
Sharing my journey at:
www.facebook.com/thecrookedlife
Sharing my journey at:
www.facebook.com/thecrookedlife
Also, I have a YouTube channel and blog called:
ScoliTalk which is interviews with scoliosis patients and doctors. www.ScoliTalk.com
ScoliTalk which is interviews with scoliosis patients and doctors. www.ScoliTalk.com
About Marce Kuhns:
I was diagnosed with scoliosis at 12 years old. I tried wearing a hard plastic brace, but stopped due to the pain. Also, at 12 years old the brace wasn't exactly great for my self image. I had no other treatment options other than to "watch and wait" to see what happened. By my early twenties I was experiencing pain and had developed a noticeable postural deformity. I was very self conscience, and did everything possible to hide my condition - never talking about it! I visited several doctors throughout the years and was told it was best to just live with it. This made me feel helpless and fearful for my future. 26 years after my diagnosis I found a rehab based treatment for scoliosis that changed my life! It eliminated my pain, improved my postural deformity, reduced my curvature by 15 percent, gave me confidence, and eliminated my fear. To make a statement that I would "Hide No More," I had my back painted and photographed. This was a huge step for me!
I began sharing my journey on facebook to spread hope and awareness The Crooked Life. My pain became my passion! So much so that I left my job of 15 years to start working for the doctor who helped change my life to be apart of helping others with scoliosis. In addition, my husband and I recently started a charity The Crooked Life Foundation to provide Scoliosis Activity Suits to patients who are unable to afford them. Providing HOPE is my heart!
I was diagnosed with scoliosis at 12 years old. I tried wearing a hard plastic brace, but stopped due to the pain. Also, at 12 years old the brace wasn't exactly great for my self image. I had no other treatment options other than to "watch and wait" to see what happened. By my early twenties I was experiencing pain and had developed a noticeable postural deformity. I was very self conscience, and did everything possible to hide my condition - never talking about it! I visited several doctors throughout the years and was told it was best to just live with it. This made me feel helpless and fearful for my future. 26 years after my diagnosis I found a rehab based treatment for scoliosis that changed my life! It eliminated my pain, improved my postural deformity, reduced my curvature by 15 percent, gave me confidence, and eliminated my fear. To make a statement that I would "Hide No More," I had my back painted and photographed. This was a huge step for me! 
I began sharing my journey on facebook to spread hope and awareness The Crooked Life. My pain became my passion! So much so that I left my job of 15 years to start working for the doctor who helped change my life to be apart of helping others with scoliosis. In addition, my husband and I recently started a charity The Crooked Life Foundation to provide Scoliosis Activity Suits to patients who are unable to afford them. Providing HOPE is my heart!
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