Bethany

The story

I have many scars on my body, but the pictures are from spinal surgery to correct scoliosis (curvature of the spine). I had a 68 degree curve. I have one long scar running down the length of my spine, a scar wrapping around my ribcage and a smaller scar just above that. When I was 13, I was diagnosed with Scoliosis and had surgery at 14. It took two long operations, more than two weeks in hospital and the better part of a year for my scars to heal completely. 

I feel grateful for the scars as they remind me, I was fortunate enough to have access to incredible healthcare that saved my life, care that isn’t available or affordable in much of the world. I was never particularly self-conscious about them as I felt proud of them; they were character building.

Now I don’t think of them much at all because I don’t even see them!

People may notice my scars, but I don’t notice them noticing because they’re on my back. I don’t try to cover them; they have no influence on my choice of clothes. For this reason, also, I wouldn’t change them if I could.

They have little impact on me but serve as a reminder of how lucky I am to have them at all.