Meet Phoenix

I love hearing from Maria Talks Back readers because that's how I meet people like Phoenix and her mom, Audrey.

A few months ago, six-year-old Phoenix was diagnosed with severe early-onset scoliosis (60-degree C curve).

For the first two weeks after Phoenix's diagnosis, her mother Audrey was "numb." But by the time we met through a mutual friend, Audrey was immersed in her crash course on scoliosis, and preparing Phoenix for her treatment in a Wilmington brace.

By all accounts, Phoenix handled the casting and brace fitting like a

champ and has been responding well to wearing her new brace for 23 hours each day. She is also receiving physical therapy and Cranialsacral Fascial Release.

Cranialsacral Fascial Release is actually two therapies: Craniosacral and Fascial. And, according to Lynn Demarco, Phoenix's therapist, these therapies can work in concert to relieve "blockages in the energy system [and]. . . restore energy flow, alleviate pain, decrease stress and improve overall function."

Reviews on the effectiveness of this holistic approach to healing are mixed, but so far it is working for Phoenix, and that is what matters to Audrey.

Since she had to learn more than she ever wanted to know about scoliosis, Audrey has become an advocate for early detection: "I didn’t think a curvy spine could be such a big deal. Believe me, it’s a big deal. Scoliosis can cause a host of problems to a little one’s development if not taken care of. If you’re reading this and have a child, check their back. Usually the back check happens at the pediatrician or at school, but for Phoenix, she progressed very fast and it happened in-between visits [within] a year and a half’s time. If you are looking at your child’s back and it looks odd, get it checked out."