Community Corner

Local Woman Appointed to High Position in National Scoliosis Organization

Alana Hartmann, of Temecula, is the vice president of patient education for the Scoliosis Association.

Temecula resident Alana Hartmann was once mocked by her classmates for having scoliosis. Now, she's one of the heads of a national organization that advocates for patients.

She was named vice president of patient education for the Scoliosis Association, a nonprofit organization that aims to benefit patients of the condition.
Hartmann was diagnosed with the condition when she was 11 years old, she said. The condition has made life hard for her.

"While other girls were getting ready for Prom, I was fighting for my life," she said. 'I dealt with extreme bullying, negative comments and misunderstanding most of my young life."

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Scoliosis is a medically condition that causes the sideways curvature of the spine. It starts most often during the growth spurt just before puberty.This condition effect around 7 million people.

"Although it is a complex, three-dimensional deformity, on an X-ray viewed from the rear, the spine of an individual with scoliosis may look more like an S or a C than a straight line," Hartmann said.

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To cope with the condition, the woman started a blog, called "My Scoliosis Story."

The site caught on. "What started out as a small passion project as grown into the number one scoliosis resource with over 7,000 followers and hundreds of emails from across the world," she said.

Hartmann hosts local events for patients of the condition. For information, visit her website here.


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