Teenager Poliana Cerqueira de Oliveira was diagnosed with Idiopathic Scoliosis at the age of 10, a change in the spine characterized by a three-dimensional curvature. The young woman is currently 16 years old and has been living with the symptoms and problems caused by the problem for six years. To Acorda Cidade, the family told of the difficulties they are facing and made an appeal for people to show solidarity and help the young woman to be able to undergo the surgery.
Poliana, who is a first year high school student, said that scoliosis affects her basic daily activities such as going to the beach, school and especially her social relationships, as it affects her self-esteem. As the surgery took so long, she explained how the symptoms of fatigue, pain, loss of balance and coordination, as well as other disorders, have worsened.
“Bone loss in kyphosis, I feel a lot of pain in my spine, there are times when my leg hurts, the organs are affected. I’m very sad about this situation, besides being something that affects my life a lot, because anyway, you’re sad about this situation, that you don’t have an erect spine, your spine is completely straight”, he said.
The teenager reinforced that after the surgery her physical, psychological and emotional health will improve, allowing her to live a full, healthier and happier life.
The young woman uses a corrective brace and Global Postural Reeducation (RPG) therapy, but these are not enough to reduce the deformity disorders.
“Without RPG, I feel more pain than I feel, in addition to making the situation worse if I stop doing it. And the vest I used didn’t help much in this situation, because it seemed to make the situation worse”, he declared.
The family is trying to get support to carry out the surgery through the Unified Health System (SUS), but reports that the process is slow and that the teenager has not even entered the regulatory queue yet, as she is still in the referral process. Her mother, Meire Cerqueira, told Acorda Cidade what it has been like to deal with the complications and challenges in seeking medical assistance for her daughter.
“It has been very difficult, because I have been looking for assistance for her for years. I’ve been looking at several hospitals, in other states too, Brasília, Palmas, São Paulo, various places, and this has been a terrible expense financially speaking. And now there’s a point where she can’t wait any longer, I even tried to find out, in relation to the SUS, when I went to look at the Martagão Gesteira hospital, to this day her name isn’t even in the queue yet. All that’s left is the request for surgery, but I heard it’s not even in the queue yet,” she said.
Unable to do so and seeing her daughter suffer daily, the mother decided to do an ‘online solidarity fundraiser’ in favor of carrying out the surgery, which costs approximately R$300,000.
“It is a very expensive surgery, I am not in a position to provide that amount. So, that’s why I decided to do the donation, because she also really needs this surgery urgently, due to her condition, she has bone loss due to kyphosis, her organs are affected,” she said.
According to the mother, it is difficult to obtain surgery through the SUS, but on the market it is possible to find specialized neurosurgeons who can perform the procedure. Given the limitations and urgency of Poliana’s surgery, the mother has gone out of her way to take care of her only daughter.
“It’s been very complicated to live with this, she’s my daughter, an only child, so I try to make it not so difficult for her, counseling and giving her as much psychological support as possible. And it’s been such a difficult search for me,” she reported.
Anyone who can contribute any amount can donate through the online Solidarity Fund. Click here.
With information from reporter Paulo José from Acorda Cidade
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Tags: Mother asks support perform surgery daughter scoliosis disorders worse Acorda Cidade
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