Honor Steinthal

My experience at Hospital for Special Surgery can be summed up in one word: Incredible. When I was in the fourth grade, I was diagnosed with scoliosis, however I never seemed to have any pain. In seventh grade, that feeling started to change. I began to feel some discomfort in my lower back and went to the doctor to have it checked out. When my doctor showed me the x-ray, my spine looked like an ‘S’ and right away I was told I would need surgery and there was no other place I thought to go than Hospital for Special Surgery. I had gone from being a normal middle schooler to undergoing major surgery. In addition to my nerves about the surgery, I became afraid because for my whole life, I had danced. I loved everything about dance and was told that once I had the surgery that I would probably never dance again. I was devastated to hear that I would have to give up something I loved so much. Finally, in eighth grade I had the surgery to straighten my spine. Dr. Rawlins at Hospital for Special Surgery did a phenomenal job, and the surgery could not have gone any better. After a great week in the hospital, where the nurses and all the staff took excellent care of me, I headed home, where the road to recovery was not easy. I was home schooled for the first three months and then began school part time. A year after my surgery, I received clearance from the doctor and I began dancing again. In a years’ time I had gone from hearing I would never dance again to dancing pointe in ballet. I would not have been able to achieve all this and continue doing what I loved if it weren’t for the incredible experience and service I received from Dr. Rawlins and Hospital for Special Surgery. I thank HSS and Dr. Rawlins every day for helping me live my life to the fullest and achieve what was once the impossible.