Ashlyn Fiorilli, 15, is a force to be reckoned with in the swimming pool. Her accomplishments go beyond the water, however, as she has fully recovered from surgery to correct the effects of scoliosis.
In the water, Ashlyn Fiorilli is a force to be reckoned with.
"Right now, I'm first in the country for 15-year-old girls and that's really exciting," said Fiorilli, after recently winning silver in the 200-meter butterfly at the Junior National Championships in Minnesota.
Her accomplishments go beyond the water, however, as she has fully recovered from surgery to correct the effects of scoliosis, a condition that affects the curvature of the spine.
Ashlyn was diagnosed with progressive scoliosis at age 13 and surgery would be her only option if she wanted to continuing competitive swimming.
"Three percent of the people in the planet have a scoliosis that can be progressive, much likes hers, what we call adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. Of that three percent, probably 10 to 20 percent eventually require something done surgically," said Dr. Isador Lieberman, orthopedic & spinal surgeon and medical director of the Scoliosis and Spine Tumor Center at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Plano.
Lieberman performed a selective thoracic fusion, using titanium rods and numerous screws to straighten her spine.
"Her curve continued to progress, so I recommended that she consider what we call a selective thoracic fusion, just correcting the upper spine, getting it back in balance and leaving the remainder of her spine free, so that she would not be restricted in her athletic endeavors," Lieberman said.
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Ashlyn recovered like the champion she is and was back in the pool within three months.
Her sights are now set for the 2020 Summer Olympic Games.
"I'm hoping that I can stay up there and continue four more years, hopefully for Tokyo!" she said.
