Bent; not broken | Alessandra Maggioni | TEDxCoralGables

At 17 months after spinal fusion surgery, Alessandra shares a story of recovery and all that she has gained from this experience. She does this in the hope to inspire others and change the way they look at bumps in the road. Alessandra Maggioni is a 15 year-old student originally from Rome, Italy, born in Miami. She is currently a sophomore at Gulliver Preparatory. Since the first day she set her foot on a tennis court at 4 years old, her passion for this sport grew endlessly. So much so, that Alessandra decided she wanted to become a professional tennis player. Working constantly towards her dream, she faced her first obstacle at 10 years old -- Alessandra was diagnosed with scoliosis. As the deformity progressed and had to be corrected, she underwent a very difficult, dangerous surgery – spinal fusion. This life-changing event took place November 18, 2013. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx