Why Bent not Broken?

​A few years ago, I was in the doctor’s office getting fitted for a new brace, and my doctor had mentioned that some of his patients like to decorate their brace. I’ve always been a minimalist, and therefore, had never really thought about getting a different colored brace or decking it out with stickers and signatures from my friends, as most kids do with casts. He mentioned that he had a lot of patients who wrote “Bent not Broken” on the three straps on the back of their brace, and from then on, I wasn’t able to get that phrase out of my head: the perfect description of what scoliosis patients are. Thus, when I decided to begin working on this blog, I immediately knew what I would call it: Bent not Broken. Three words that encompass so much of what living with scoliosis is.

Fun fact: When I was writing my first article for this blog, the song “Just Give Me a Reason” (by P!nk), came on, and I knew that I chose right when I heard the lyrics: “We’re not broken, just bent”. I mean, come on. Perfect movie scene.

These words represent the importance of pushing through the years of annoyance and pain. Our spines our literally bent, and sometimes, our outlook will be, too. But, this doesn’t mean that we are broken, and whether you are braced, undergoing surgery, or just reading this blog for fun, we can all use this phrase and remember that we are bent, not broken! :)