Veronica’s Journey with Scoliosis
Veronica Castillo is 12 years old and in the sixth grade. She loves to dance, make art, and hang out with her friends. To look at her today, you’d never know she spent 21 days at Rady Children’s Hospital — or that there was a time her family wasn’t sure she would walk out on her own.
A Mother’s Instinct
It started simply enough. In March 2021, Veronica told her mother her back hurt and asked for a quick massage. When her mom felt her spine and watched her move, something didn’t look right — a shoulder blade that seemed to protrude, a gait that had changed. Then came the stumbles. Numbness in her hands and feet. A fall down the stairs.
The family was referred to an orthopedic surgeon through Kaiser in Downey. The diagnosis was sobering: a spinal curve measuring about 60 degrees. “That’s when I looked at her and just lost it,” her mother said. Doctor after doctor reviewed the imaging — and each one said the same thing: Veronica needed surgery that couldn’t be done locally. She needed to go to San Diego.
Finding the Right Team
The Castillo family was eventually referred to Dr. Peter Newton, a world-renowned spine surgeon at Rady Children’s Orthopedics & Scoliosis Center in San Diego. From their first meeting, the difference was clear.
“After meeting Dr. Newton and his team, we knew we were in the right place,” her mother said. “He didn’t treat her like just another case. This was a child. This was someone he was caring for.”
Understanding Veronica’s Condition
Dr. Newton’s evaluation revealed the severity of the situation. Veronica had a severe congenital curvature — her spine was bent at nearly a 90-degree angle, pressing directly on her spinal cord. She was gradually losing her ability to walk.
“We knew that she needed an operation and that we needed to take the pressure off her spinal cord and realign her spine,” Dr. Newton explained, “in hopes of having her recover her ability to walk.”
Surgery and Recovery
In late 2021, Dr. Newton and his staff performed corrective surgery on Veronica. Recovery was slow and deliberate — each day bringing small signs of progress. When the rehabilitation team stepped in, Veronica had to relearn movements most of us take for granted.
“It was almost like she had to relearn, like a child taking their first steps,” her mother recalled.
As of January 2022, Veronica has restored complete function in her spinal cord.
A Family’s Gratitude
“If it wasn’t for his care — for whatever moment in his life made him say, ‘I want to work with children’ — I’m thankful for that moment,” her mother said. “I’m thankful for all the nurses, because they touched my child. I didn’t know if she was going to be walking out, and to see where she’s at today — it’s amazing.”