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Twin sisters Hadley and Delaney have raised $50,000 to help adolescents with scoliosis receiving treatment at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital. In honor of Scoliosis Awareness Month in June, these two sisters are rallying for a cause near and dear to them.
When Hadley was 12 years old, she was diagnosed with idiopathic scoliosis, an abnormal curvature of the spine that occurs most often during the growth spurt before puberty that affects six to nine million people in the U.S., according to the American Association of Neurological Surgeons. During her treatment, Hadley was required to wear a brace around her chest and back for 18 hours a day.
She and her twin sister, Delaney, found it difficult to keep track of the many hours Hadley was required to wear her corrective brace. When notepads and whiteboards fell short, the duo decided to co-create their own solution, the BraceTrack App, which is a mobile phone app that solves this time-tracking challenge for children and teens with scoliosis braces.
The app earns high marks in the app store and, for their efforts, Hadley and Delaney have been granted multiple patents.
In addition to their new app, Hadley’s diagnosis and their subsequent journey of discovery inspired the sisters to give back even more.
“After reflecting on how we could expand beyond just time tracking, we wanted to help kids who couldn’t afford braces,” Hadley and Delaney said in a joint statement.
With the cost of scoliosis braces ranging from $3,000 to $10,000, and the need for a custom-fit with replacements as the adolescent grows, the twins started Brace for Impact, an initiative that raises funds to support scoliosis braces for children and teens unable to afford their treatment. Otherwise, for underinsured patients or patients lacking insurance, the cost and the associated testing can be an insurmountable barrier that prevents treatment.
Through Brace for Impact, the twins raised the funds to support Nicklaus Children’s Hospital patients. Hadley and Delaney also are exploring research opportunities with the orthopedic team at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital.
“Hadley and Delaney inspire us with their passion for helping other children and giving back to their community in a meaningful way,” said Dr. Stephen George, medical director of pediatric spinal surgery at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital. “The sky is the limit for this dynamic duo, and we look forward to their continued support and all that they will do for our community in the future.”
Founded in 1950 by Variety Clubs International, Nicklaus Children’s Hospital is South Florida’s only licensed specialty hospital exclusively for children, with nearly 800 attending physicians, including more than 475 pediatric subspecialists. The 309-bed hospital, known as Miami Children’s Hospital from 1983 through 2014, is renowned for excellence in all aspects of pediatric medicine with many specialty programs routinely ranked among the best in the nation by U.S. News & World Report since 2008.
For more information, visit www.nicklauschildrens.org.
