Many of us pay less attention than we should to preventive health screenings. Like car maintenance, when everything is running well, a visit to check things out can seem unnecessary.
And then you hear a story like the one featured this month on the Kaiser Permanente Care Stories blog.
At the age of 10 and in what appeared to be excellent health, Grace Stanford saw her pediatrician for a regular, well-child visit. In a routine scoliosis exam, Grace was diagnosed with a 30-degree curvature of her spine. The condition progressed, and at her doctor’s recommendation, Grace underwent spinal surgery in June of 2012.
Now a year since the surgery, Grace – a lifelong softball player – is completely back in the game. Her recovery has impressed not just her mother and surgeon, but her pitching coach as well. Watch the video below.
Kaiser Permanente pediatrician Brian McCreery, MD, encourages parents to bring their kids in for regular well-child visits so that medical problems can be identified, diagnosed and treated early.
You can check out details about Grace’s story on the Care Stories Blog. For more about the importance of well-child visits, visit this page on kp.org.
