Hannah Martinez: My Story

            It was the summer after my junior year of high school when I had spine surgery. If you know me, my favorite time of the year is summer because I get up early to work-out and then lay out by the pool all day. With this surgery happening it would take my summer away, but more importantly I would have to learn how to walk again and depend on someone to help me with everything. I like doing things on my own and getting lots of stuff done but that summer my mom became my best friend and taught me what a true servant looked like.

            I was diagnosed with scoliosis when I was in 5th grade. I had to wear an uncomfortable back brace every day for 3 years. My faith was tested every day and I had to choose how I was going to respond. I had to buy bigger clothes to fit over the brace, and I was known as the girl with “abs of plastic” and couldn’t bend or twist at all when it was on me. While I wore this brace I learned that I am very fortunate that there are doctors who can help my situation. It was a long three years but fast forward to my 8^th grade year when I could finally be brace free because I was done growing. However, as the years went on my curve in my spine got worse. By the time I was a junior I had 54-degree curve and they said I would need surgery before I was 22. When I got the news there was not a day that went by that year where I didn’t think about it and wonder if I would ever be the same again.

            Leading up to surgery I would have many doctors’ appointments where I would see children with cancer and other diseases where they were in the hospital for years at a time. It opened my eyes and that is where I learned to have perspective. Yes, spine surgery is intense, yes it is a painful recovery. But I am going to get better, God is going to give me strength and let me play sports again. I had perspective on my situation and stopped feeling sorry for myself and started thanking God for letting me go through this surgery. I prayed that during my surgery and after while I was recovering that I would lead people to him and help others with scoliosis.

            I decided to have surgery right after my junior year. It was a four-hour surgery and had to recover in the hospital for a week before I could go back home. I was up every two hours to rotate from my side to back to my other side. For a month that was my every day routine. I would get up a couple times a day to walk around and slowly get feeling and flexibility back. During this month my mom had to help me shower, shave my legs, get me in and out of bed, sit me up when it was time for me to eat, not get any sleep, put up with my mood swings, stay home every day with me and yet she was always joyful and had a smile on her face. How could someone be so happy and joyful during the lowest point of my life? Her joy caused me to be happy and thankful that each day I was getting stronger and closer to where I wanted to be. She never complained once to me about never sleeping and always having to take care of me. She wanted to see me at my best again and she was going to make sure she helped me get there. My mom is such a servant and a gift from God. I learned to never complain about trials in my life and to always help people because they might be going through a hard time.

            Since my surgery my mom and I have helped and met so many young girls who are going through the same surgery as me. We prepare them as best as we can for what it is going to be like and we leave them with the thought that it’s all about perspective. You can wake up and complain every day and do nothing to get better, or you can look around you and see that you are blessed to have another day to get better and be thankful God made your back straight again. Helping others and being there for them brings joy into my life because I remember what it was like and at the end of the day helping others and showing them God’s love is what matters.

             No matter what I am going through I know God is going to bring me out of my misery and he is going to help me have a positive perspective on life because things get better if you have faith and trust God through everything. Be thankful for your life, that you are blessed each day, that you can talk, that you can walk and that you serve a God who wants nothing but the best for you. Don’t take anything for granted.