After Beating Scoliosis, Ava Sings the Praises of CHLA
Last May, Ava Cardoso-Smith, then 14, strode across the stage at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, took the microphone and belted out a rendition of “You Raise Me Up.”
Her performance was part of a charity gala benefiting programs for Los Angeles-area foster children, and the audience gave her a standing ovation. And while Ava has sung at charity events before, this performance had special meaning for her.
Just three months earlier, the Los Angeles teen had undergone major surgery at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. The source of her troubles: severe scoliosis, an abnormal curvature of the spine. Without treatment, Ava faced a lifetime of debilitating pain, and she eventually could have had trouble even breathing—and singing.
‘He gave it to me straight’
Ava’s scoliosis was diagnosed by her pediatrician when she was 12. At the time, her S-shaped curve was slight, but her mom, Trisha Cardoso, took her to see David Skaggs, MD, MMM, chief of the Children’s Orthopaedic Center and director of the Children’s Spine Center at CHLA.
Skaggs began closely monitoring Ava, who in addition to singing played tennis and did ballet. Although many cases of scoliosis remain minor and never require surgery, Ava’s curve steadily worsened. She began to be in pain, and even sitting in class became uncomfortable.
Eventually, the top part of her curve reached 50 degrees. Surgery was the only way to correct the curve and prevent further progression.
“To be honest, I was pretty scared,” she admits. “But Dr. Skaggs is amazing. He gave it to me straight. He was like, ‘OK, here’s your situation, and here’s how we’re going to fix it.’ He was very calm.”
Her mom felt reassured as well.
“We felt really comfortable in his hands,” Cardoso says. “We were fortunate that the best care was right in our backyard.”
On Feb. 24, 2015, just days after her 14th birthday, Ava underwent spinal fusion surgery at CHLA, with Skaggs inserting metal rods to straighten her spine and then fusing them in place with bone grafts.
She woke up from surgery feeling stiff and uncomfortable. But by the next day, Ava was walking, albeit very slowly. Although she had a minor respiratory complication, she was soon back home and diligently following a daily walking regimen to speed her recovery.
Raising her voice for CHLA
Just two weeks after surgery, she resumed her vocal training.
“I’ve been singing since before I could talk,” says Ava, 15, whose dad, Chad Smith, is the drummer for the Red Hot Chili Peppers. “It’s what I love to do, and what I’m super-passionate about.”
