Julia's Story: My Scoliosis Story

When Scoliosis Is Born

My name is Júlia Antalová. I'm from the Slovak Republic, a small country located in the heart of Europe. During elementary school, all students are required to undergo preventative medical check-ups. In 1996, one of these examinations became a significant turning point in my life, when the pediatrician noticed an unnatural curvature of my spine to the right side. I immediately began rehabilitation therapy and was officially diagnosed a year later with Idiopathic Thoracic Kyphoscoliosis with a Cobb angle of 26 degrees. That was when my daily struggle began with rehabilitation, spa treatments, and – last but not least – a brace that I had to wear 24 hours a day. Despite all efforts of the doctors, my condition unfortunately continued to worsen. As a result, I was referred to specialists in our capital city, Bratislava. In 1999, my spinal curvature was measured at 38 degrees, at which point surgery was recommended, carrying an enormous risk that I could end up in a wheelchair. Everything suggested that it was just a cosmetic concern. Since I was only 16 years old at the time, and my mother was already in a wheelchair, I refused the surgery, saying: “I would rather have a crooked back and be able to work and live a full life than have a straight back and end up like my mother.” Sadly, medical science was at a different level back then, and no one explained to me what dangerous impact this condition could have on my vital organs. I was even told that once I reached adulthood, the scoliosis would actually stop progressing.

A Tumor and a New Battle

Another turning point in my life came in 2005. I was 21 years old when I was diagnosed with a thymic tumor located between the lobes of my lungs. With a 1% chance of survival, the tumor was surgically removed through my chest. It was nothing short of a miracle that the tumor was well-defined and benign. However, the surgery itself was complicated by myasthenic reactions (it is a disease that causes muscle weakness due to a disruption in nerve-to-muscle communication). After the tumor was removed, a new battle began, when my lung function became severely impaired and I was diagnosed with an incurable chronic obstructive Lung Disease (COL). Although there is no cure for COL, it can be managed with proper medical care. With this new diagnosis, I learned that I might not wake up in the morning. And yet, with hope I always set my alarm clock. I was grateful each morning I woke, for each breath I took-I knew to never take breathing for granted. No one connected my breathing difficulties with the pressure that the spinal deformity was exerting on my lungs. The two conditions intertwined and complicated each other. Scoliosis caused me constant pain, often preventing me from sleeping. Although I exercised diligently and tried to improve my condition, I repeatedly ran into limits because of my breathing. At times, breathing was so difficult that I could not  speak, let alone exercise.

Twenty Years of Gratitude

Since the removal of the tumor, a twenty optimistic years have passed, years for which I am deeply grateful. First and foremost, I am grateful that I never gave up, and for my loved ones who continuously supported me and shared every single hardship with me. Even to this day, according to psychologists, I manage to conceal these struggles in an almost unbelievable way. Over the course of twenty years, a lot changed. My lung disease progressed to a severe stage with prolonged exacerbations, and my scoliosis worsened a nearly 90-degree curvature. In 2021, my leg even became weak, which led me to begin intensive training using the SM SYSTEM (it is a spiral stabilization method for the spine that uses elastic cords and body weight). This exercise system helped me significantly and relieved pressure in the spinal canal. But unfortunately, the exercises were unable to create enough space for my weakened lungs to improve my breathing, not even by 20%.

Life with Severe Scoliosis

Life with scoliosis was not only about pain and breathing, it was also about what the illness took away from me. It took my self-confidence, my relationships, and my dreams of having a family. I never felt truly free in my own body. While my peers were experiencing their first loves and dreaming of children, I was withdrawing into myself. Many friendships and potential relationships failed because I never felt good enough, pretty enough, healthy enough. The hardest moments always came in the summer. Swimming pools, beaches, public spaces in swimsuits. For others, they were symbols of relaxation and joy; for me, they were moments filled with shame and inner struggle. I always put on a mask of courage, pretending that my deformity did not bother me, that I had it under control. But inside, it hurt deeply. It was painful to look at myself and know that my body would never look “normal.” I learned to live with pain and with the awareness that my spine was curved, yet in my heart it always left a crack. Every day, I tried to appear strong, smiling, and determined. No one knew the tears I had cried and the countless times I wished-at least for a moment-to trade my body for another. Depression sometimes even made me feel  the urge to end my life. Today, I know that scoliosis is not just an aesthetic issue. It is not merely a “crooked back.” It is a condition that can severely affect breathing, internal organs, and a person’s mental health. That is why it is extremely important to pay close attention to the development of children’s spines, to diagnose scoliosis at an early age, and to treat it properly. Parents should notice even small details, such as whether one shoulder is higher than the other, whether one shoulder blade protrudes, whether the waist is symmetrical, and whether the child stands or walks straight. Early diagnosis, regular check-ups, rehabilitation, and exercise can profoundly influence a child’s future life and protect them from further and needless complications.Indeed, my path was marked by suffering, but also by an unbreakable will to live.

You Pray for a Miracle and God Gives You Three

After all the years of suffering, I was once again faced with the greatest challenge of my life: the fight for my life. In the final years before the stabilization of my spine, my digestive system rebelled under the pressure of scoliosis. Vomiting became a daily occurrence, food turned into an enemy, and my body into a prison that nearly destroyed me. Every breath became a struggle, as my lungs refused to cooperate. Even as scoliosis suffocated and compressed me, my heart kept beating with defiance, as if it refused to give up, pulling me forward with each new day. From 2021 onward, my condition deteriorated dramatically. My life became an endless cycle of hospitals, emergency rooms, examinations, and medications. Every day, I relied on inhalers and a nebulizer that provided some relief for my breathing. I often felt as though I lived more in medical facilities than in my own home. Eventually, doctors told me they feared they might have to connect me to oxygen. I knew that if it came to that, there would be no turning back. These were moments when time narrowed and darkness felt close. And yet, I found the strength to keep fighting. After considerable hesitation on the part of doctors, on my 41st birthday October 8, 2024 I underwent spinal correction and stabilization from T2 to L3 in the Czech Republic, in Brno, under the hands of a professor who is a member of the Scoliosis Research Society and one of the world’s leading experts in scoliosis treatment. His expertise gave me a new life, for which I will be endlessly grateful. Although I thoroughly researched adult spinal correction and doctors explained that in adulthood a curve of such magnitude cannot be significantly corrected—at best it might be reduced by 30 to 35 degrees—something happened that cannot be described by medical terminology alone. A miracle! Or a series of miracles! After the surgery, space opened not only for my lungs, but for my entire life. My lung capacity increased to an incredible 78%. My digestive system gradually calmed down, and I stopped living in constant fear of food and vomiting. And finally, at the age of 41, my spine was corrected to an 18-degree kyphosis, a degree of curvature that had seemed unthinkable to me not long ago. This was not merely a medical success: It was a personal miracle, one shaped by prayers, trust in medical experts, and an immense determination never to give up. I believe that through my story, this rare operation has become part of the history of an extraordinary moment in medicine.

Life after Surgery for Idiopathic Scoliosis

For me personally, scoliosis surgery does not represent the end of a journey, but the beginning of a new chapter. It was not merely a medical procedure, it was a turning point that changed not only my body image, but also my daily routines. For many years  scoliosis deprived me of pain-free breathing, the surgery gave me the greatest gift of all: the ability to breathe freely. Breathing-something most people take for granted-became a miracle to me. Suddenly, I no longer felt anxiety with every breath; my body relaxed, and I was able to experience a sense of freedom once again. With the newly created space for my lungs, everything changed. I stopped vomiting as my crushed digestive system gradually returned to normal, I discovered a new energy and self-confidence that pushed me towards dreams I’d never dared to imagine. Loose clothing was suddenly set aside, replaced with fitted T-shirts and dresses with necklines. For the first time, I am truly HAPPY! My smile is genuine, no longer a mask to hide behind. Life after surgery isn’t perfect, it’s a challenge. Rehabilitation requires discipline and immense patience. My pain transformed, rather than disappeared. Today, it is more of a signal that my body is working and learning to function anew. Exercise, swimming, and gradual strengthening helped me build a kind of strength I had never known before. My greatest fear was that I would not be able to return to hiking. Yet eleven months after surgery, I stood once again on my beloved hills, and within four weeks I covered about 300 kilometers in the beautiful Slovak mountains. It was not without pain, but every step was a victory and proof that both body and soul are capable of far more when we choose not to give up.

My Message to All Fighters