You may all remember that hilarious video that I posted of Meghan Connolly doing an absolutely fantastic Vanishing Lake. What I forgot to mention is that Meghan has suffered from scoliosis for years and when I posted that video it hadnât even been a year since her surgery for it. Well today sheâs celebrating her one year anniversary since the surgery, or in her words, one year of being âStraightâ. Meghan has always been the most dedicated dancer I know. For a few years now, sheâs been doing two-a-days at the gym, and going to dance class, and helping out at our dance school. I donât know a lot of 14-16 year olds who do that.
Dancing with scoliosis is a big challenge, and then on top of that going through painful surgery, taking months off because of it, and then coming back and recovering from it, is so, so painful. Itâs always so sad to see someone have to go through an injury or surgery, but to see one of the most dedicated dancers you know have to go through it is heartbreaking.
The surgery went well, and her spine went from a 56 degree curve to a 12 degree curve. She had a pretty good recovery too, but that was due in part to her being such a fighter. She pushed the nurses to help her start doing things sooner than most. When she was able to dance again and came back to class, we all tried to tell her to take it easy, and she did for a little bit, somewhat. There were definitely a lot of days when she was in pain, but she hid her pain well and would hide in the bathroom if she had to cry (sorry Meg for telling). She told me she never wanted to take it easy because she didnât want to seem like she was making excuses.
To this day, she is still the hardest worker I know. Sheâs back into her full gym and dance routine, she still helps out all the time, and still has some of the highest clicks and lifts in our dance school. There are one or two little things sheâs still working on regaining, but sheâll get them back soon. She gets better and better every week and I know sheâs only going to keep getting better and is going to reach all of her goals. I canât wait to see her on the Worlds stage, where she belongs.
She may be 5 years younger than I am, but Meghan is absolutely my biggest inspiration. She is the definition of hard work. She is without a doubt THE funniest person I know, and can be absolutely ridiculously crazy sometimes, but you can also have the most mature conversations with her. When I transferred schools, she was the most welcoming person to me. She will very clearly joke about being cocky, but she is such a humble dancer.
So happy 1 year to Meghan Connolly! And to all âcurvy girlsâ dealing with scoliosis and dancing, I am in awe of you and your dedication.
janainaart
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