At 12 years old, Mya Cullings’ back pain and difficulty breathing slowly turned into an unfamiliar diagnosis — idiopathic scoliosis. Her spine was curved.
“That first moment seeing the X-ray was like a complete shock,” she said. “I’ve never seen a spine like that before.” Two months later, in June 2023, she was scheduled to have spinal fusion, the first step in a long recovery process.
While going through her own scoliosis journey, Mya embarked on another one — to spread awareness for scoliosis and help other children who have it not feel lonely or isolated.
“A lot of people don’t really know what scoliosis is, and even those who have heard of it often don’t understand the full picture,” she said. “In reality, it’s an emotionally and physically taxing part of a person’s life.”
Post-operation, Mya, now 15, of Bel Air, had to relearn to walk, tackle stairs and dance. She grew 4 inches and now stands 5 feet, 7 inches, and had two titanium rods and 17 screws placed in her spine. She was tasked with wearing a spinal brace every night until done growing.
This summer, Mya participated in a fundraiser for Higgy Bears, an organization that creates specialized teddy bears for children with scoliosis. Bears come with a mini back brace, to represent children who wear them; a back scar for those who had surgery; or both.
For every $10 raised, Mya would receive a bear she could give to children in her community. She raised $3,389.
Mya and her mom, Angela Cullings, went around Harford and Baltimore counties to hand out bears. They gave 50 bears to the Hanger Clinic in Rosedale, 25 to Gold Medal Physical Therapy in Bel Air and 25 to Nova Care Rehabilitation in Rosedale.
Raising money inspired Mya to further her involvement in Higgy Bears. She reached out to the organization to become an ambassador and create “Higgy Friends of Harford County,” a group designed to bring people together and connect with other children who might be lonely during their scoliosis journey.
“Her goal was to help others because she didn’t have much help,” said Mya’s dad, Doug Cullings. “Her mother and I, we didn’t know much about it. She doesn’t want other kids to go through it too.”
Mya works with her parents to craft events for members to do every month, which they advertise on the group’s Facebook page. Their first event, held in September, brought members together at Bacco Pizzeria, where they colored custom coloring pages created by Mya of famous Disney characters wearing back braces.
Mya said the Higgy Friends for Harford County events have become a “bonding” experience for herself and her family, as they get to do something fun together while advocating for scoliosis.
“I guess scoliosis is becoming like part of our family,” Mya said.
Two years post-operation, Mya has fully regained control of her body and is back to dancing. She is a freshman at Harford Tech High School and is enrolled in the magnet program studying Computer Aided Drafting and Design.
Currently, she is working on a scholarship essay connecting her future career goals in interior design with her experience with scoliosis. She hopes to help future clients curate comfortable and accessible spaces.
As Higgy Friends expands, Mya said she’s looking forward to continuing to use her story as an example of growth.
“It’s something that’s never going to go away, and I hope it never goes away because it’s definitely a story that I want to continue to share,” Mya said. “My scar is never going to go away. I still don’t have all the feeling in my back, that’s never going away. I feel that’s a good thing because its a reminder that I was at this point, but now I’m here.”
Have a news tip? Contact Shaela Foster at sfoster@baltsun.com or 443-826-5894.
Leave A Comment