Hello everyone! We are identical twin sisters named Nashley and Nadia Adams. The NA Scoliosis Foundation NPC/NPO was founded by us. We would like to begin producing these adorable "gifts of hope" bags to encourage and support those who have been diagnosed with scoliosis by letting them know we are here for them. If our main project is successful, we would like to continue raising awareness and assist in raising the necessary funds for emergency operations.

We hold a special place in our hearts for scoliosis because we were both diagnosed with it. We established a Non-Profit Organization to assist patients with scoliosis because we are aware of how challenging this condition can be. We established this organization to make scoliosis patients feel special and to demonstrate that they are never alone in dealing with this condition.

We established this foundation to share love and provide assistance to those who are in need of it, not to become famous. Reassuring people that they are not alone in their struggle with scoliosis and helping them feel understood are two important aspects of our mission.

Allow us to tell you our story.

NA Scoliosis Foundation NPC/NPO

At the time, we were just 12 years old and still attending primary school. It wasn't until we were rehearsing jazz dances for our school concert the following year that we discovered we had scoliosis. Our mother decided to take Nadia to the doctor to have her back examined when she saw something wasn't quite right while we were trying on our costumes for the jazz dance practice. Nadia was then sent to Red Cross Children's Hospital, where she was identified as having CHRONIC ADOLESCENT IDIOPATHIC SCOLIOSIS following the acquisition of several x-rays.

Our mother then suggested that I, Nashley, have myself examined because we are identical twins. It was strange to learn that I also suffer from CHRONIC ADOLESCENT IDIOPATHIC SCOLIOSIS. Our mother then requested a neighbor to make us a garment to cover our backs when the time for our school jazz concert arrived so that we could feel comfortable in our dancing attire. We were required to visit the hospital for regular checkups in order to track the motions of our neck and spine.

Our parents are extremely loving and supportive, going above and beyond to make us feel special and joyful. We are very fortunate to have them. The majority of children with this illness do not receive the same level of love and care that we do. This is the reason we were compelled to start this organization in order to assist people who are most in need of compassion and support. Before the doctor informed us about scoliosis, we were unaware of its existence. Our mother also asked the neighbor next door to conduct some study on the condition for her. As a result, she is now much more knowledgeable about scoliosis.

We discovered that we both had growth in our necks and the S curve. My curve is shaped like a reverse S, whereas my sister Nadia's curve is shaped like a S. Both of us are in excruciating pain and are really uncomfortable. We used to believe that no one else had scoliosis until we had to undergo routine examinations. At our yearly hospital check-ups, most of the staff became accustomed to seeing us. When taking our x-rays, they would make us feel at ease by saying things like "here come the twins" or welcoming us as their favorite patients.

We were afraid during our first few hospital visits because we had no idea what to anticipate or what the physicians would say, among other things. When we visited the doctors' consultation rooms, they would discuss various bodily shapes, curves, degrees, and numbers, but we were unable to comprehend what they were saying. Prior to our visit with the doctor, they also measured our height and weight. The majority of the time, the doctors asked for x-rays before we saw them. Whenever we had to get X-rays taken or see a doctor, we would always become quite anxious.

Before they informed us that we had scoliosis, we had no idea what the condition entailed, but I suppose not many people are aware of it. We didn't enjoy visiting the hospital since we saw so many younger children with scoliosis that was worse than our own. Some children could barely walk, communicate, or take care of themselves. Others were in wheelchairs. To help scoliosis patients feel unique and less alone in our nation, we felt compelled to form the Scoliosis Foundation.

It pains our hearts to see patients, young or old, in worse condition than we are and unable to help themselves. We never see patients outside of the hospital; we only ever see them inside. As we grew older and things became more apparent to us, we stopped caring what other people thought of us. Our teachers, who were aware of it, also grew close to us as we grew older. Our family and friends were our biggest supports.

During examinations, doctors would let us to bend all the way down to our toes so they could see that one side of our back is higher than the other and that our backs had a distinct line where the spine is. The bend we were doing is known as the Adams forward bend test, which was developed by the late William Adams in 1865, as we recently found out. My mother was informed by our primary school teacher, who was aware of scoliosis at the time, about the things we could and could not do.

We were pleased with our teacher's helpfulness and genuine concern. Regardless of our circumstances, many of our teachers became extremely close to us, and their support was incredible. They gave us the desire to stay in school indefinitely. Before I discovered sketching and other forms of creativity, sports were my passion and I, Nashley, adore playing them.

We are inspired by Usain Bolt's exceptional bravery. Despite all of his difficulties, he never gave up and, as a result of his perseverance and hard work, he was able to earn the gold medal.

Yes, he had this condition, but it didn't stop him from accomplishing amazing things in the sport he loved. We used to play sports at school, but we had to quit after learning about our medical conditions because the intense sports we participated could make our condition worse.

We were moved to Groote Schuur Hospital since we were older and in high school after spending so many years at Red Cross Hospital. Everything changed with the arrival of new nurses, doctors and different patients. Luckily, the professor has been here since the beginning. The x-ray department staff, like those at Red Cross Hospital, warmed up to us despite the fact that everything had changed. For example, they would constantly check in with us to see how we were doing and would say they were missing us because they hadn't seen us in a while.

We had a harder time in high school since there were a lot of kids who were bigger than us and we had a lot of textbooks to carry around. In order to prevent people from noticing our condition, we have always covered our backs. We continued doing this for a time until we finally gave up and stopped caring what other people thought. Because of our height, people would assume we were young, but they would never know what we had until we told them. It was risky at first to tell people we had scoliosis because we weren't sure how they would respond—whether they would laugh at us or criticize us—but most of the time, if you knew who your actual friends were, it was never like that.

We didn't disclose our condition to anyone until they enquired about our height, weight, and other physical characteristics. To be honest, at the time, we were really cautious about who we disclosed our condition to. Depression and anxiety are serious issues, but things will improve if you surround yourself with people who love and support you and inspire you daily to live a better life. Monitoring scoliosis can be somewhat difficult because there are good and bad days. Additionally, overstressing oneself might make matters worse, so you must always find ways to be strong and motivated.

Engage in an activity you enjoy. In our situation, it's making the other patients feel welcome and witnessing their smiles. We've realized that not everyone has the same level of love and support that we do, therefore we would love to give back. We enjoy watching these lovely, inspirational YouTube videos and listening to the music. They are very helpful when you need a little encouragement. Get lots of inspirational quotes from the internet and stick them up so you can see them every morning when you wake up. Speaking with someone about your experience can encourage them to open up and speak more, as well as help you regain confidence. To assist someone else in doing the same, take on the role of your own inspiration. That's what we constantly convince ourselves we have to do.

We always question why God has given us this condition, but I've come to understand that He does it to test our bravery and to always want the strongest individuals to carry the greatest weights because He knows we can bear them. It wasn't until we discovered we had this condition that we began to regard ourselves as courageous and strong. We can't change it no matter how hard we try; it's something that's here to stay, yet sometimes this condition inspires us to be even stronger than we already are. Our scoliosis became more severe and painful as we aged.

Although we were informed that we may have a surgery, our professor advises against it because, if we have two, we only have a 50% chance of surviving or risk becoming paralyzed. Furthermore, if we injure ourselves severely in any manner, we will regrettably be forced to undergo surgery. We are grateful that we can avoid undergoing painful surgical procedures and wearing an uncomfortable brace. We chose to start a scoliosis foundation since we consider ourselves fortunate to be here. The best thing about it for us is that we can share it with others, which is better than other people who have no one else to share their condition with.

Our goal is to gather money and arrange for donations to our scoliosis foundation. The goal of the fundraisers and donations is to help scoliosis patients feel unique and supported. If our event proves to be successful, we would be delighted to assist those in need of financial support for urgent medical procedures.

Our investigation also revealed that there is no national fundraising effort for scoliosis patients. We are aware of how scoliosis feels, even though not many people are aware of this condition.

We believed that by assuring scoliosis sufferers that we will support them no matter what, we can reassure them that they are never alone. We made the decision to support people with scoliosis because we would love to give back. On our 30th crown birthday, which falls in January 2024, or in June if we meet our goal, we would like to do something special for persons with scoliosis. We also know that 26th June is designated as National Scoliosis Awareness Day each year.

We performed a survey to learn more about the opinions of other scoliosis sufferers and to find out what they would want to see on Scoliosis Awareness Day in order to feel valued and unique. We learned from all of the survey's questions that there is a lack of awareness about this condition, and that many respondents felt excluded and alone in their suffering. Additionally, we discovered that a large number of scoliosis patients experience despair and had experienced bullying in the past.

In an effort to stop scoliosis from getting worse and to raise awareness that scoliosis is a significant condition that affects daily life for those who have it, we would like to find techniques to make it simple to identify those who have it at a young age. In our opinion, this would really help individuals with scoliosis feel more accepted and appreciate the support of those around them instead of making them feel scared and withdrawn due to bad personal experiences.

We are grateful to God for our continued health and strength. We would want to express our gratitude to everyone for their love and support throughout our lives as scoliosis patients.

​We are honored to identify as “Scoliosis Warriors”.

We'd like to end with this quotation: ‘’Embrace your inner spine because you are "beautiful", No matter what anyone says.

You are your own uniqueness so embrace it’’

We fully support you.

Love Nashley & Nadia

Best Poem ever is by the Late Maya Angelou “You are phenomenal Woman.”