Stephanie Dodson
My blogs
| Gender | Female |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Special Education Teacher |
| Location | Saint Louis, Missouri, United States |
| Introduction | I was diagnosed with scoliosis in 1994. I was 13 years old. I have had chronic back pain since 1998, which I learned when I was a Freshman at college. In July of 2009, I was told that I also have Degenerative Disc Disease. In June of 2010, at the young age of 29 and three weeks after my wedding, I had spinal fusion surgery. The surgeon told me I'd be "healed" in 8 weeks. However, the surgery was deemed unsuccessful and when I was 30 years old, I was diagnosed with Failed Back Syndrome and Chronic Pain Syndrome. I was also put on Disability and had to leave my job as a Special Education Teacher the year in which I was tenured. I have spent the last few years of my life at my physical therapist’s office, trying to rehabilitate my body, knowing that there is little that can improve. It has been almost two years since the surgery and recovery seems like a foreign word to my body. I have been told that nothing can be done to “fix” me. I have been told that I must learn to “live with the pain.” But that is not good enough for me. I haven’t given up on getting better. This is my journey of learning how to live with a disability... |
| Interests | All that which is forbidden: yoga, cycling, kickboxing, tennis, running, learning Tai Chi... |
| Favorite movies | Pride & Prejudice, The Notebook, How to Train Your Dragon, The Last Airbender, The Young Victoria |
| Favorite music | Anything that stirs my heart or taps my foot! |
| Favorite books | The Holy Bible, Life of Pi, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the night-time, The Red Tent, Redeming Love |