channelMarkers Movers, Shakers, Style, Shopping, Trends, Happenings and More at Lake Norman
SEPTEMBER 2016
11 LAKE NORMAN CURRENTS
From left, Olivia Kent and René Zuraf of Cornelius lead Curvy Girls of Charlotte, an international scoliosis peer support organization.
Throwing a Curve Olivia Kent and René Zuraf stand up to scoliosis Though Olivia Kent and René Zuraf both lived in Cornelius, they didn’t know each other until a diagnosis brought them together. Kent, a senior at Lake Norman Charter, and Zuraf, a sophomore at William Amos Hough High School, were diagnosed with scoliosis when they were 9 years old. As they ventured into the world of scoliosis, they both longed to talk with others who were going through what they
were going through. In 2011, their search led them to Curvy Girls, an international scoliosis peer support organization founded by Leah Stoltz in 2006 in Long Island, New York. Kent’s doctor gave her Brooke Rogers’ phone number, and together with Katherine Southard, they founded Curvy Girls of Charlotte in 2012. Rogers and Southard also had scoliosis. “I wanted someone to talk to, so my mom went online and she
looked for a group,” remembers Zuraf. “She noticed that there was a Curvy Girls in Charlotte, and so we reached out to them and went to one of their first meetings.” The group consists of approximately 30 girls from all over the area, and it meets every other month. “All we really do during the meetings is offer each other support and share each other’s stories. We are there for each other,” explains Kent, who hosts a Christmas party for the group every year. Zuraf hosts a summer lake party. “With scoliosis, bracing [wearing back braces] is a big issue,” says Kent.
“Girls struggle with confidence a lot because of the braces.” Both girls have had spinal fusion surgery and have fully recovered. Zuraf cheers on the junior varsity squad at Hough and can do all of the physical movements involved. “It’s [scoliosis] not holding me back at all,” she says. As for Curvy Girls, the group serves as a way for them to share what they’ve learned on their scoliosis journey. Says Kent, “It feels great to pass on what people did for me.” — Lori K. Tate, photography Lisa Crates