Saadia’s story: Undeterred by her diagnosis, a young athlete embraces her new journey
“I was afraid at first because I didn’t know how things would turn out, but once I started getting into the process, especially since I met the people who work at mign, who were patient with me and guided me through the whole process, I got over my fear. I was excited to see them make it.”
Saadia was a 10-year-old competitive gymnast when a routine x-ray at a local chiropractor showed potential curvature in her spine.
Saadia was referred to a specialist, Dr. Todd M. Chapman, Jr. an orthopedic surgeon at OrthoCarolina. Dr. Chapman diagnosed her with Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS) with a 45 degree curve in her thoracic spine and a 33 degree curve in the lumbar spine. AIS is the most common type of scoliosis and usually diagnosed during puberty.
Uncertainty filled the family’s thoughts. Would the always-energetic Saadia need to stop being physically active? Jerrilyn wondered whether her daughter would be confined to the large, rigid, and cumbersome braces she read about online.
Saadia’s treatment choices were observation, bracing or surgery. The family opted for bracing, and Dr. Chapman referred them to mign, a Charlotte-based company where 3D designers create customized medical wearables tailored precisely to patients’ bodies.
“With all bracing, compliance is the key factor. If we recommend braces to patients and they are not going to wear them, they are not beneficial,” Dr. Chapman says. “That’s where mign fits in. By being customizable and patient-specific, with the breathability and ability to formulate the wearable for each patient based on 3D scans, it can greatly increase the likelihood the patient will wear a brace.”
At first nervous about the process, Saadia soon found herself having fun as her wearable was being created. “They had a camera that scanned my whole body,” says Saadia, a middle schooler with an infectious smile. “I was afraid at first because I didn’t know how things would turn out, but once I started getting into the process, especially since I met the people who work at mign, who were patient with me and guided me through the whole process, I got over my fear. I was excited to see them make it.”
Saadia started wearing her mign wearable two hours daily and built up to wearing it 18 hours a day, including sleeping in it. She soon saw positive results and Saadia’s body has continued to improve. Her mign wearable has reduced the magnitude of curvature to 31 degrees in the thoracic spine and 23 degrees in the lumbar spine, according to Dr. Chapman.
“They noticed a nice change in her spine, and I saw the correction on the X-ray, which was quite pleasing,” says Saadia’s mother, Jerrilyn, who works in clinical research.
Saadia said her wearable gives her more freedom than she expected and she is encouraged by the changes. “I'm very excited to see how quickly I’ve almost outgrown the brace,” Saadia said. “It’s just like a happy moment because I can do stuff I thought I would be restricted from doing.”
At Saadia’s home, which she shares with her mom, dad, and brothers Bryson, 15, and Xavier, 17, Saadia sometimes races Bryson and plays football with her family in the yard. She also has twin 21-year-old sisters, Ashton and Mikiya, and a 25-year-old sister Devin.
Saadia stays busy with her school work, sketching, and baking (brownies are a specialty, to which she’ll add nuts, caramel, and chocolate chips). A hallway in her home showcases her artwork, which includes drawings and paintings of landscapes, portraits of American gymnasts Simone Biles and Gabby Douglas, silhouettes, and colorful abstract paintings, including one with silver sparkles.
Saadia says she is thinking of getting in track one day, maybe hurdling or sprinting, activities that Dr. Chapman says he can see Saadia doing one day. When her body stops growing, Saadia will no longer use the wearable.
“Absolutely, she can run track,” Dr. Chapman says. “One of the advantages of this brace is if she wears it regularly, it can ideally help her avoid surgery and keep her doing all those things she enjoys.”
Says Saadia’s mother, Jerrilyn: “mign has been there for us throughout this journey. Life didn’t have to change for Saadia, as far as her activities went, and she wasn't totally restricted. That was a good thing for us, and for her, knowing that she can be happy, live her life and continue to do fun things.”
