Monineath M., 13

Monineath was born with scoliosis. Monineath has had several surgeries but as she grows, she continues to have trouble breathing and chronic pain. She suffered from malnutrition as a child, and only weighed 15 kg when she was 10 years old. Now at, 13 years of age, she is ashamed of her back and does not want to attend school because other children make fun of her. She needs another scoliosis correction surgery to improve her function and decrease pain. and Monineath's family needs assistance to pay for the operation. This will cover radiology, medications, surgery, and post-op physiotherapy care.

8/9/23 Monineath has had many surgeries over the past several years. She is still growing and has not reached skeletal maturity, so a device known as a growing rod had been implanted to correct her scoliosis. By correcting the curvature, pressure on the nerves and surrounding structures is reduced, leading to a reduction in pain. But Monineath still has a thoracic curve to her right and had her rods taken out in 2020. She now needs a fusion to her pelvis to improve her pain and her lung capacity. She had titanium implanted and a posterior-lateral fusion rods. The surface of the spine was removed (decorticated) and a bone graft was laid on this surface. She will be mobilized as soon as possible with physiotherapy and her stitches taken out in 14 days

If not treated, the patient will have significant effects on her respiratory function leading to reduced lung volumes, limited diaphragmatic excursion, and chest wall muscle inefficiency.