2020 – Chantal Paulino Brito
A Wish Come True and Prayer Answered – Meet Chantal Paulino Brito, a 16 year old teenager from The Dominican Republic located in the Caribbean. Chantal suffers from severe Congenital Scoliosis, with a curve of over 90 degrees. This curve has been causing her considerable discomfort and body image issues for most of her life. All other treatments have failed and spine surgery is a rare and unaffordable option where she lives. Thanks to the willingness of Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas (DCMC) and surgeon Dr. Matthew Geck (Texas Spine and Scoliosis) to treat her critical case at this time, Chantal was cleared and is now in recovery after an 8+ hour surgery on November 10, 2020. She is back home and is recovering well.
SpineHope would like to especially thank Medtronic, Inc. for being both Chantal’s sponsor and donor of the spinal implants and biologics needed for her corrective spine surgery. We are grateful for their generosity, continued partnership and care for our SpineHope patients. We will provide updates on her progress.
ABOUT CHANTAL – Chantal Isabel’s spinal deformity was first detected at the age of 5, as her family noticed a crooked back as she walked. A local pediatrician diagnosed her with scoliosis but the curve was small and they opted to just monitor her. As she grew older, so did the deformity. Chantal was referred to the Dominican Rehabilitation Association where she was fitted with a corset, given orthopedic boots and underwent psychological treatment. Her curve progressed and her family took her to Santo Domingo where she continued with therapies such as massages and swimming. But these therapies only helped a little. Being Congenital Scoliosis (a rare form of scoliosis where there is an incomplete formation of the vertebrae before the baby is born), her curve continued to grow as did the body distortion due to the compensatory curve that also formed in order to force her body into an upright posture. At this point, with a 90+ degree curve, spine surgery is the only option to stop the progression. This type of spine surgery is both difficult and expensive. For Chantal’s family, the cost of the surgery was an impossible consideration and there have been no local resources willing or able to help her. Chantal is very happy to have been accepted into the SpineHope program and dreams of having a straight spine, balanced shoulders and even hips where she can walk straight and not feel lop-sided. She has been a dedicated student who will move on next year to study nursing so she can help others as they are helping her now. Her family is grateful to all who answered their prayers and donated services.