Bent but not Broken

29/06/2025

Yesterday was International Scoliosis Awareness Day, a great way to end Scoliosis Awareness Month. It has been wonderful to see so much information shared and to hear other people's stories is so encouraging 😊

This month the girls have had progress reports and x-rays, so it seems appropriate to update everyone who has been following our story and to welcome new friends 🤗

This time last year, the girls had just started an intensive course of treatment at the Dorsi Spinal Institute in Nottingham, attending the clinic twice a week for therapy. Six months ago, they also started a new exercise program called ScoliBalance, which aims to integrate their physiotherapy exercises into day-to-day life. As the girls progress through the program, they require less one-on-one therapy time and now only need to attend the clinic twice a month.

Their routines don't vary much from week to week (treatment at the clinic and daily exercise at home), but when you look back over the year, we can really see how all the small changes have made some great improvements.
One big change to Tirzah's routine is her new brace. She is part of a trial to test a new material that is 3D printed to create rigid areas for correction and flexible areas for comfort, making it much more comfortable compared to traditional plastic braces. Tirzah actually enjoys wearing her brace, especially when her back is feeling fatigued and causing discomfort 🙌

As you know, three years ago we discovered that Tirzah's S-shaped curve had progressed rapidly, with each curve measuring around 100 degrees. This began our journey to seek an alternative to surgery.

Today, we are excited to report that her recent x-rays show her spinal curves have improved to 84 and 89 degrees 🙌🥳 While these are still major curves, they are a huge improvement! This is so encouraging and a great reward for all the hard work that she does each day.

Tirzah also underwent a flexibility test to assess how much movement remains in her spine. Her doctor initially had low expectations due to the severity of her curves and because Tirzah is reaching the end of growth, but he was pleasantly surprised. The results revealed a good amount of flexibility, enough that a 50% reduction of her curves may still be possible 🙏 This is the maximum that the spine surgeons predicted they could achieve through surgery. If she can reach this amount of improvement through non-surgical methods, that would be absolutely amazing and an answer to prayer. Improving her quality of life dramatically without needing to have her spine fused!

When Atarah started her scoliosis journey, her initial x-rays showed a 45-degree curve in her lower back. We were told that once growth stops (i.e. your adult body), the primary goals of scoliosis treatment are to prevent further progression and to reduce or eliminate pain through exercise and therapy. Significant curve reduction without surgery is not commonly seen.
But through dedication to her therapy sessions and commitment to the home exercise routines, Atarah has actually seen great improvement - not only in her flexibility and posture, but also with reduced back discomfort and fewer headaches 🙌😊

And we are excited to say that Atarah's recent x-rays show that her curve has actually reduced by 7 degrees. That's a 15% improvement 🥳🙏 Even her therapists were surprised (and very happy!) by how much correction has been achieved in the past year.

We love sharing these positive results, but we have to also remember that there have been many challenging days of pain and discomfort and wondering if it is all worth it. Seeing what Tirzah and Atarah have achieved in the past year, fills us with hope and reassurance that all the hard work really is paying off 💪

We are thankful to all of you who are praying for the girls, for the words of encouragement and for the financial gifts. You are a part of their story and we are excited to see what the next year brings 🤗🙏

25/06/2024

Every week brings something new as Atarah and Tirzah continue their treatment at the Dorsi Spinal Clinic in Nottingham. As part of the overall analysis of their posture, they had their hips and legs examined, which revealed that both girls have one leg longer than the other. Not sure how we missed this before now 🤔. This causes one hip to be higher than the other, which then affects the curvature of the spine. In addition, they did a gait analysis to determine if they would benefit from wearing orthotics (insoles).

A few days ago the girls received their new insoles which have been custom-made. One insole is thicker than the other, giving a "leg lift" for the shorter leg, to level out the hips. After inserting the insoles into the girls' shoes, Dr Matt checked their backs and noticed an immediate improvement 🙌.

The body takes time to adjust to the new position created by the insoles, so the amount of time they are worn each day increases gradually for approximately a week. Once fully adjusted, wearing the insoles will help release tension in the back muscles and aid in the de-rotation of the spine.
Very interesting how altering something with your feet affects your back 🧐.

The next steps... Tirzah will be fitted for a new brace in July. This clinic is part of a trial to test a new brace material which will make it easier to customize the brace to the individual for greater improvement and comfort. We are pleased to have the opportunity to participate in this trial and look forward to seeing amazing results 🙏🤗.

02/06/2024

30/05/2024

The weeks are passing by so quickly as we adjust to life in the UK. The girls are doing an amazing job of keeping up with their studies, exercise routines and regular visits to the Scoliosis Clinic in Birmingham. The location has been perfect to get us started and we are so thankful for our friends and their generosity while we get settled and look for our own home.

We have been looking for a house in the Nottingham area and a clinic for the girls to keep everything within easy access.
This week we visited the Dorsi Spinal Institute in Nottingham where the girls were seen by the Clinical Director, Dr Potts. He focused on Tirzah's situation the most but much of what he discussed regarding treatment applies to both girls. As part of his assessment, he took digital x-rays of Tirzah's back and used the new LiDar Posture Scanner to create 3D images of both their spines.

At the beginning of our scoliosis journey, most medical professionals told us that our decision to use alternative scoliosis treatment would not improve Tirzah's curves. At best, she might slow or halt the progression of the curves.
Well, from the images taken this week, we can see that the consistent hard work the girls have done so far is really paying off! Tirzah's curves have actually reduced in size by at least 10% since starting the scoliosis-specific treatment last year 🙌 🥳🙏

We are really impressed by the facilities at the clinic and think that the girls will benefit from the specialist care provided there, with physiotherapy, massage/osteopathy, imaging and bracing, all in one place.

The plan going forward is for Tirzah to be fitted with a new brace. Her current one no longer fits well, due to the improvement in her back and a growth spurt :) And both girls are to start a program of intensive treatment, beginning next week.

We appreciate your prayers and support as we continue on this long journey 🙏🤗

11/04/2024

This week the girls had their first appointment at the Scoliosis SOS Clinic in Birmingham. It is a smaller branch of the London Clinic but has a full range of facilities and excellent therapists 🙌 The clinic is located in the Jewellery Quarter of Birmingham which is only a couple of train stops away from where we are staying 😊 This is much more convenient and allows us to have regular, in-person therapy sessions instead of on Zoom as we have been doing. Tirzah will also benefit from regular deep-tissue massages which she finds very helpful to manage her pain 🤗🙏

We feel like this is a good start to the next phase of their scoliosis journey. And we look forward to what other opportunities we will have access to now that we are living in England 😁

30/03/2024

A great report from our 1-year checkup at the Scoliosis Clinic 🙌🙏
Despite many disruptions to the girls' schedule over the last 6 months, they have both continued to show improvement which is amazing!
The therapists were especially pleased that Tirzah's situation has not become worse, as would normally be expected with curves of her magnitude. Instead we are seeing good improvement in the de-rotation and elongation of her spine.
Atarah's lower back scoliosis is greatly improved, her rotation is half of what it was one year ago 🥳 Now her focus is to work on her upper back.
We will be switching to the Birmingham branch of the Scoliosis Clinic in future as it is more convenient to access. And both girls have received updated home exercise plans, tailored to their current needs.
We are so thankful to now be living much closer to the specialized treatment that the girls' need, and look forward to even greater results in the future 🙏🤗

28/03/2024

We have just arrived in England and we are so happy to be reunited with Atarah 🤗, but the cold weather will take some getting used to 😁🌦️

A new chapter in the girls' scoliosis journey is about to begin. We are about to return to London for their yearly checkup at the Scoliosis Clinic. It is hard to believe a year has gone by already. The girls have been working hard with their exercises and we are hopeful that we will see good improvement since their checkup in the Summer.

They still have a long way to go with their treatment, so we appreciate your continued prayers and encouragement 🤗🙏

31/07/2023

Our time in England is going very quickly. The girls have just finished their second week of treatment. We continue to see good results for both girls and Tirzah's spine is definitely more flexible after the ASMI sessions. With this increased flexibility, the other physiotherapy and exercises will be more effective 🙌🙏

Also this week, Tirzah had a check up for her brace. The therapist was pleased with the way the brace is working to halt the progression of Tirzah's curves. A few adjustments were made and now it is more comfortable to wear.

Both girls had a review session with the Scoliosis Clinic in London. After having a few tests and scans done, it was quite obvious (even to my untrained eyes 😁) that their backs have continued to improve since their treatment earlier this year 🙌. Their home exercise programs were reviewed and adjusted to continue working on their specific needs. Great to see that all their hard work is making a difference 🤗

In-between the therapy, we have continued to explore St Albans, learning more about the history, wandering through the markets and eating great food 😊 And to top it all off, we celebrated Atarah's birthday 🎂🎉 at Ye Olde Fighting C**k, the oldest pub in England.

Now we are off to Birmingham to spend a few days with friends.
Thank you for your encouragement and support. Love from the Eime girls in England 🤗🙏🌻

22/07/2023

Week 1 of treatment completed 🙌 The girls are responding well and we are seeing good movement in their spines after only a couple of sessions. The intensive exercise program that the girls did earlier in the year, and the consistent exercises at home, really prepared their backs for this next phase of treatment.

In our search for an alternative to scoliosis surgery we discovered a back therapist who uses an ASMI machine (Advanced Spinal Mobilisation Instrument). As part of their therapy sessions, the girls lie on a special slightly curved massage couch and the therapist uses the machine on their backs. The ASMI (like a small bionic hand) stretches the tight ligaments that have been holding the vertebrae in the wrong place, then by tapping the reflexes along the spine the vertebrae move back towards their correct position. This process is repeated over and over during the hour long session.

The treatment leaves the girls' backs feeling quite tender, so they usually have one or two non-therapy days in between sessions to recover. We have been taking advantage of these days to rest as well as get out and see a few sights around St Albans. We even managed to get into London to spend a day with friends from Israel.

We have been enjoying the cooler summer weather after the heatwave temperatures of Israel. With the rain it almost feels like winter 🤣
Thanks for your prayers and support, we appreciate you all. Shabbat Shalom from the Eime girls in England 🤗🙏🌻

17/07/2023

We have arrived in St Albans, just north of London.
The girls had the first therapy session on their backs yesterday afternoon. It was like a very intense, deep massage, and today they woke up feeling a little sore. Thankfully they have time to rest before the next session. After a quiet morning, we went for a walk around the centre of St Albans to see the Cathedral and Clock Tower. A lot of fun to wander through the streets of such a quaint town with so much history.
Historical fun fact...St Albans takes its name from the first British saint, Alban who was martyred for sheltering a Christian priest fleeing from persecution of the Romans.

Thank you to everyone who has sent messages of encouragement. We appreciate your prayers and support very much 🙏🤗

15/07/2023

Here we are at the Ben Gurion airport, waiting for our flight to London. The next phase of treatment is about to begin. We are excited to continue the journey to become stronger and straighter!

We are booked to start a 2 week treatment program at a clinic in St Albans, just north of London. We will also be returning to the Scoliosis clinic in London for a follow-up assessment to see how the girls are going after 4 months, and have Tirzah's brace checked to see if any adjustments need to be made.

Our first appointment at the new clinic is on Sunday. Let you know how it goes!

18/05/2023

After returning to Israel we took a social media break, but we have not taken a break from the hard work to get the girls straightened out 🙌. In the past 2 months, the girls have established a good home routine for their exercises and have had regular appointments with a local physiotherapist and osteopath. We have also continued their virtual therapy sessions with the Scoliosis clinic in London. We pray that the constant exercises and activities are continuing to improve the girls' backs 🙏. Hopefully we will be able to return to the UK in early July to have a follow-up for both girls at the Scoliosis clinic, and the Orthotics Clinic to check Tirzah's brace. This will give us a good indication as to how the exercise therapy is going and whether it will be beneficial to do another intensive course, especially for Tirzah 😊.

During this time we have also consulted with two specialist scoliosis spine surgeons. After examining Tirzah, her MRI and a variety of x-rays, both surgeons agree that Tirzah has approximately one year of growth left and if we choose to do surgery, it should be done before she stops growing. This surgery is very serious. The majority of her spine would be fused and held in place with screws and rods, reducing her mobility. There are considerable risks involved and no guarantees of a pain-free back. Due to the magnitude of her curves, Tirzah's back would not be completely straightened, even with the surgery.

So we appreciate your continued prayers for healing for both girls, and wisdom as we evaluate the options for treatment for Tirzah 🙏🤗. There is no going back after doing the surgery, so we will try any suitable non-surgery alternatives while we are able. If you know of any doctors or clinics that deal with extreme scoliosis, we would love to hear from you.

But on a lighter note... we have had a wonderful visit with Grandparents from Australia. During their time here we were able to celebrate Passover at the Dead Sea with our Church community, Easter with Micah home from the army, a couple of days in the Galilee and Tirzah's 14th birthday 🥳. Even small things like doing puzzles, watching movies and gardening together, are fabulous for making memories ☺️.

Thank you for your continued support and prayers for the girls.
Blessings and Shabbat Shalom from the Eime girls in Jerusalem 🤗🌻