PHOTOGRAPHED BY PATRICK HEAGNEY

Just a year after spinal fusion surgery, 13-year-old Zoe Price is healthy and thriving, thanks to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta orthopedic surgeon Dr. Michael Schmitz.

While playing on the beach during a family trip to Boca Grande, Fla., in 2021, Paula and Richard Price noticed their then 12-year-old daughter, Zoe, had a shoulder blade protruding from her back. Thinking it might be a sports injury—Zoe is an avid lacrosse player—they decided to seek out a specialist, who then referred them to Dr. Crystal Perkins at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. The diagnosis: idiopathic scoliosis, which would require surgery.

“We were devastated and completely blindsided,” recalls Paula.

The family then met with Children’s orthopedic surgeon Dr. Michael Schmitz to discuss the next steps, hoping to find alternatives to surgery. But, due to the combination of her curvature, potential remaining growth and risk of further deformity, Schmitz recommended a spinal fusion—a procedure that permanently connects two or more vertebrae in the spine—as soon as possible.

The timing was challenging: The family basement was being remodeled and Paula was nearing the end of a pregnancy with her now 1-year-old son, but they were immediately convinced Schmitz was the right person to help Zoe.

“His ability to confidently discuss the problem and solution was comforting,” says Paula.

During the surgery, Schmitz and his team inserted two titanium rods, 14 screws and two hooks into Zoe to fuse and stabilize her spine.

But being active helped her make a rapid recovery. Zoe was able to leave the hospital just 24 hours post-surgery and resumed walking almost immediately. After weeks of physical therapy, she played her first game back about six months after surgery, when she won the lacrosse draw and scored in under 15 seconds! Now, a year later, Zoe is an active and healthy teen. “I feel more confident since surgery and feel better than ever,” she says.