Juliette Clark is not one to sit still for very long.
Juliette Clark began playing water polo at age 8 after watching the sport on television during the Olympics. She normally plays 2-meter set defense for her San Clemente Tritons Water Polo Club team, which won the 12U Junior Olympics gold medal
Juliette Clark receives a visit from her parents, John and Manya, after the first of her two surgeries at Children's Hospital Los Angeles in February 2014.
Juliette Clark was not a fan of the hospital gowns, so her family made her a more vibrant, colorful gown, which was later called the Juju Gown.
The vibrant, goofy 13-year-old, known to her family and friends as Juju, loves being active. Her most comfortable setting is the pool, where she shines playing for the San Clemente Tritons Water Polo Club.
But what happens when a scoliosis diagnosis could force her to stop playing altogether? In Clark’s case, she felt there was only one option: Get through it and keep playing.
Clark was diagnosed with scoliosis, a condition in which the spine is curved, at age 11 in October 2013.She required surgery in February 2014, with the risk that it could limit her mobility.
“I remember when she was first told of her condition, she wasn’t completely aware of what it was, but she knew she didn’t want to be sick,” said her older sister, Alleanna. “After the realization that something could be wrong, she calmed down and realized that being that way wouldn’t make anything better.”
Through faith, hard work, determination and a positive attitude, Clark is now as strong, if not stronger, in the pool than ever before.
“We were told immediately that she would have to have surgery, we just came to terms with it,” her father, John Clark, said. “All three of our girls play water polo and through all the families we met, that got us through it.”
A FORCE IN THE POOL
Clark has always been a hard worker when it comes to water polo. The second of John and Manya’s three daughters began playing the sport at age 8 after watching on television during the Olympic Games.
She’s a true utility player, said Pat Higginson, coach of Saddleback College and father of one of Clark’s teammates.
Clark normally plays 2-meter set defense, though she’s also an excellent outside shooter and has the ability to change the momentum of a game with her perimeter strikes.
San Clemente High varsity coach Logan Powell coined a phrase to describe it at the 2014 Junior Olympics: “Juju Madness.”
“It was in the last game of the Junior Olympics, he said something to Juliette before he sent her out,” Manya Clark said. “All of a sudden, she came in with a different kind of enthusiasm and fire.”
THE DIAGNOSIS
Until recent years, scoliosis could easily be checked by school doctors.
In Clark’s case, her family doctor discovered the condition. Her spine had two curves of 60 degrees each.
Without surgery, the curves would become more pronounced and Clark’s movements would be limited. Surgery was the only option.
During the Clarks’ first visit to a surgeon, it was recommended that she stop playing water polo competitively, instead playing for recreation, due to limited flexibility after surgery.
“It was pretty upsetting for her,” Manya said.
Her surgery required the insertion of metal rods and screws onto the vertebrae, which remain in place to keep the spine as straight as possible.
But quitting competitive water polo was not in Clark’s game plan. She loved being in the water and loved
The family sought a second opinion, traveling to Los Angeles to meet with Dr. David L. Skaggs, an expert in scoliosis surgery, at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
Not only did Skaggs believe Clark would play water polo again, he believed she’d be back in time to start her ensuing club season.
“In my opinion, it’s better a broken bone than a broken spirit,” Skaggs said. “You can fix a broken bone. Sports is such an important part of many kids’ psyche, and I feel that we should take care of both their mind and their body.”
Clark’s one request was to wait until after her 12th birthday to have surgery.
She played in tournaments up to the Sunday before surgery. Her family also took a trip to Knott’s Berry Farm to allow Clark to enjoy another hobby: roller coasters.
A CHAMPION SUPPORT SYSTEM
While Skaggs was performing surgery on Feb. 4, 2014, something happened.
Skaggs noticed signals from Clark’s brain to her body stopped working, causing temporary paralysis.
Skaggs stopped surgery and informed the family of his next move: a “halo treatment” that attaches a ring to Clark’s skull, adding weight to the top of the device to stretch her spine, allowing electrical impulses to carry through during and after surgery.
“It takes a lot of guts to come out and say that you’re stopping the surgery and you’re drilling into someone’s head,” John Clark said. “We dropped to the floor, but we trusted him and she handled it just fine.”
The family documented the entire process through pictures, videos and recorded audio.
Documentaries are a hobby for John and Manya Clark, and the entire family jumped aboard. Instead of the normal hospital gowns, the family made a special gown for Juliette filled with bright colors and designs. They called it the “Juju Gown.”
All of these actions kept the mood light and positive, and though the halo treatment forced her to stay in bed or in a wheelchair for eight days, she was up walking and talking with fellow patients and nurses whenever possible.
“I didn’t want to look back on it as a bad experience, so I decided to focus on the good things,” Clark said. “Dr. Skaggs made me feel like I was in good hands and I knew that with him, I would have a good outcome.”
On Feb. 12, 2014, Skaggs tried the original surgery again, and while the spine wasn’t set completely straight, it was a significant improvement.
As Skaggs promised, within eight days of the surgery, Juliette was back on a pool deck supporting her sister. Within seven weeks, she was well within a rehab program at Signature Physical Therapy in San Clemente. She was also back in the pool swimming.
LEADING THE WAY
Clark’s will and determination to get back in the pool was the driving force behind her ability to play for the SC Tritons 12U team at the Junior Olympics at Stanford five months after surgery.
Though it was painful at times, Clark would get in the pool whenever possible and would take multiple trips to the gym with Alleanna, who was preparing for her sophomore year on the high school varsity team.
“She didn’t want to be confined to anything, she always wanted to get up and start doing,” Alleanna said. “What made her the most upset was when she couldn’t get up or move around. Water polo was important because it gave her a goal, something to keep working towards.”
Clark admitted feeling anxious about her first game and it showed. She wasn’t as aggressive and worried that she would be limited in the pool.
However, with the support of her teammates, by the time her team made the semifinals, everyone at the pool deck knew that the old Juliette had returned.
“I was a little nervous that she would push it too hard, but she obviously knew what to do,” teammate Alex Higginson said. “She was immediately on it, she was really positive and it seemed like she was right back where she was before the surgery.”
Led by Clark’s perimeter shooting and 2-meter set defense, the Tritons 12U team won the Junior Olympics GOLD
medal after defeating South Bay United, 11-9.
medal after defeating South Bay United, 11-9.
Now, Clark has her sights on the high school program, where she plans to unleash her “Juju Madness” under Powell’s leadership at the varsity level.
As for the procedure, Clark and her family want to give back with the idea of making Juju Gowns for patients at children’s hospitals. After all, a little faith and positivity can go a long way with making young people comfortable when it comes to surgery, they said.
She’s also proof that scoliosis doesn’t have to limit a person’s physical limits as long as the mindset is there to overcome those fears. One of those she’s inspired is her younger sister Lyla, who has also been diagnosed with mild scoliosis.
It’s become a new part of the Juju Madness.
“She can be a role model for others,” Skaggs said. “She’s a wonderful example of somebody proving what can be done.”
Source: Orange Country Register, 18th March 2015
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