Gives back to the community

Dear All,

Scoliosis is the abnormal lateral spine curve measurement of greater than 10 Cobb degree applied on standing radiograph. Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliolsis that develop during adolescent age is the most common form of scoliosis. Scoliosis cause the sufferer to have significant impact on their physical and psychosocial health.

As this abnormal spine curve progress it will decrease the chest wall. This will cause decrease in pulmonary capacity. Over time it will also leads to others health issue and premature death in additional to the expected backache.

At current we are lack of scoliosis and spine care awareness in Malaysia. The general public have no knowledge about this ancient Greek's word of Scoliosis. Jabatan Kementrian Kesihatan's routine health services for school children program only covers oral health , vaccination and immunisation. Huge emphasis are on oral health, dengue education campaign. They even do education/campaign on proper techniques for washing hands. Every new virus surface will have massive education awareness but neglected spine care and scoliosis screening. With this usually the child with scoliosis are presented late in the hospital when their curve is already severe.

There are times the child is only presented to seek medical help when they are suffering severe back-ache, breathing difficulties, inabilities to walk/sit/stand for a long time and having gastrointestinal issue. Some are lucky cause the option of surgery is still possible, however for some due to too late, surgery is no longer an option.  

Curve progress very rapidly during their high growth spurt (12- 16yrs old). Scoliosis screening is able to detect scoliosis curve when the curve is smaller and this could avoid unnecessary life health risk to the individual sufferer and restore quality life faster.

I am a scoliosis sufferer myself since the age of 11 yrs old. My spine curve over the years progress slowly from mild to severe. It cause me also to experience all sort of physiology impact such as low self-esteem, no confidence, mild depression and not to mentioned of slight lost in pulmonary function as well as gastrointestinal issue. The truth is not all scoli patient have the curve progress slowly like mine. Some patient even just in their tender age of 10 years old they are having 100+ Cobb degree abnormal spine curve.


By undergone the Scoliosis surgery it gave me new lease of life. From this scoliosis surgery I have gain back quality life and better health. For you the feel of your back comfortably hold by a chair is norm, cause it always there. Unfortunately I start to lost it since I was 8-9 yrs old when scoliosis encroach into my body.

After undergone my scoliosis surgery, I could feel my back being hold comfortably by a chair when I sit on it. Beside comfort feeling I also feel so marvelous, great and thankful. In my journey of life I have also watch in a real life what will eventually the outcome when a scoliosian decided against surgery and reject proper medical care. This happen to my close relatives. As I ponder on this I am so grateful to GOD cause HE is very timely to send help to me.

Since then I keep telling my life stories raising scoliosis awareness hopefully my long Scoliosis life journey can inspire someone out there who also struck with scoliosis.

I am also very actively doing patients support. I also do hospital visitation to encourage and gives support to the patients and their parents. It takes a Scolio to truly understand another Scolio.

Whenever I spotted someone with “weird back”, I will tell them my scoliosis journey and encourage them to seek proper medical help cause abnormal spine curve progression can leads one to get paralyze or wheelchair bound and also premature death.

It is indeed no joke of having days of long suffering of acute pain before death arrive.

Last year I have being to some orang asli settlements to perform the same program. I also did a spine care program and scoliosis screening in a church with a scoliosis patient and her father. In that event we managed to identified a few are are having this abnormal spine curve and yet they themselves never realised that they have it. This could be due to ignorance.

I am base in Kuala Lumpur/Selangor. If you have any events that you think I could help to enhance the event by giving Scoliosis education/awareness talks and perform scoliosis screening on children do feel free to contact me.




Regards,



Chor Mun Wong

wcmsusan@gmail.com