Ten-year-old Dauphin County resident June Hitz was recently diagnosed with scoliosis, marking a new chapter in her life. “I was actually at a regular doctor’s appointment, and they saw my back, and there was a little bit of a curve,” June said.Her mother, Kelly, shared the surprise of the diagnosis, saying, “I could see it as soon as they kind of showed me. You can see the curve in the spine, but it was a little bit of a surprise because you just kind of go into your annual checkup, not really expecting them to find anything.”June will now wear a brace for 16 hours a day, every day for the next several years to keep her curve from getting worse as she grows.”I knew from that day on that I would have to wear a brace,” she said. Kelly described the brace as “quite a serious piece of medical equipment. It’s basically like a plastic corset for her.”June explained its purpose: “It actually stops the curve from growing. So, the more I wear it, the more it starts slowing down and eventually the curve will stop growing.”Determined to support her daughter, Kelly sought out a local support group. “I thought, what if there’s a support group in the area where she could meet other kids like her? And I quickly realized there was not one. So, I thought, why can’t we just start one ourselves?” she said. Kelly reached out to Higgy Friends, a national nonprofit started by Lauren Higginson, and is now launching the first Central Pennsylvania chapter.As the founder, Higginson explained, “Higgy Friends is about just kind of hanging out, getting ice cream, going bowling, just being kids. But they just happen to have scoliosis, too.” She added, “That child that thought they were the only one, now knows that they’re far from it, and they make friends with each other and support each other. It’s just wonderful.”June emphasized the group’s focus, saying, “It’s not all about talking about scoliosis. It’s more like things that we want to do together, that it’s harder for us.” The group is looking to involve other kids in Central Pennsylvania with the message of being “bent, not broken.””Scoliosis is not the end. There’s so much beyond just the diagnosis of scoliosis, and you can still be yourself,” Kelly said.Anyone who would like to be involved can reach out to Kelly and June by emailing higgyfriendsofcentralpa@gmail.com.
MIDDLE PAXTON TOWNSHIP, Pa. —
Ten-year-old Dauphin County resident June Hitz was recently diagnosed with scoliosis, marking a new chapter in her life.
“I was actually at a regular doctor’s appointment, and they saw my back, and there was a little bit of a curve,” June said.
Her mother, Kelly, shared the surprise of the diagnosis, saying, “I could see it as soon as they kind of showed me. You can see the curve in the spine, but it was a little bit of a surprise because you just kind of go into your annual checkup, not really expecting them to find anything.”
June will now wear a brace for 16 hours a day, every day for the next several years to keep her curve from getting worse as she grows.
“I knew from that day on that I would have to wear a brace,” she said. Kelly described the brace as “quite a serious piece of medical equipment. It’s basically like a plastic corset for her.”
June explained its purpose: “It actually stops the curve from growing. So, the more I wear it, the more it starts slowing down and eventually the curve will stop growing.”
Determined to support her daughter, Kelly sought out a local support group. “I thought, what if there’s a support group in the area where she could meet other kids like her? And I quickly realized there was not one. So, I thought, why can’t we just start one ourselves?” she said.
Kelly reached out to Higgy Friends, a national nonprofit started by Lauren Higginson, and is now launching the first Central Pennsylvania chapter.
As the founder, Higginson explained, “Higgy Friends is about just kind of hanging out, getting ice cream, going bowling, just being kids. But they just happen to have scoliosis, too.” She added, “That child that thought they were the only one, now knows that they’re far from it, and they make friends with each other and support each other. It’s just wonderful.”
June emphasized the group’s focus, saying, “It’s not all about talking about scoliosis. It’s more like things that we want to do together, that it’s harder for us.”
The group is looking to involve other kids in Central Pennsylvania with the message of being “bent, not broken.”
“Scoliosis is not the end. There’s so much beyond just the diagnosis of scoliosis, and you can still be yourself,” Kelly said.
Anyone who would like to be involved can reach out to Kelly and June by emailing higgyfriendsofcentralpa@gmail.com.