Melissa Gonzalez is dancing again
after a surgery to straighten out her spine. Gonzalez was first
diagnosed with scoliosis when she was 12.
“Jazz, tap, ballet, hip- hop, flamingo,” said Gonzalez.
Gonzalez has won hundreds of awards and her dance instructor Roxana Sanchez said she is pure talent.
“She is an amazing dancer. Anyone who watches her it just kind of takes their breath away,” said Sanchez.
From her dancing, you would never know Gonzalez was suffering from advanced scoliosis. However, physically it was a different story.
“You could see like on this side my ribs were sticking out,” said Gonzalez.
Gonzalez was first diagnosed when she was 12. She wore a brace for three years. However, her spine became worse.
“Her curvature was approximately 50 degrees which normally is zero degrees. There was actually no other option then surgical at that point,” said Gonzalez’ doctor David Siambanes, an Orthopedic Spine Surgeon with St. Joseph’s Childrens Hospital in Tampa.
Gonzalez’ mother Vickie feared even with surgery her daughter may never be able to dance again.
“She had her recital June 28th which was right before the surgery a couple of days before and I remember watching and thinking she is probably never going to dance again,” said Vickie Gonzalez.
For nearly six hours Dr. David Siambanes used modern advancements to put screws and two rods into her back and straighten out her spine.
“By putting the screws in there, I have the ability rotate the screws and narrow the screws back where it started,” said Siambanes.
With only a scar down her back that will disappear in time, Gonzalez is as good as new.
“I don’t have any more pain. I look normal,” she said.
Gonzalez said dancing has never felt better and she is planning on coordinating a dance based on her scoliosis experience and she hopes it will motivate others with the condition to never give up on their dreams.
Source : Bay News 9 , 25th Oct 2015
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