Just last month, Martha Hunt was giving us major squad goals as she was strutting her stuff at Taylor Swift’s concert in Detroit alongside Gigi Hadid. And while the Victoria’s Secret angel looks like she’s living the perfect life, it turns out Martha Hunt has been struggling with scoliosis for a while now.
For those of you who aren’t familiar, scoliosis is a condition where the spine is curved unnaturally and can cause anywhere from minor discomfort to constant, intense pain. A few days ago, Hunt uploaded a picture to her Instagram of her bare back, revealing her spinal condition and a caption that said, “Hey guys <3 So #June is #ScoliosisAwarenessMonth. This is very important to me because this condition has affected my life, and I know it has affected some of you too. Click the link in my bio to read my story.”
In her story, Hunt shared how around the age of 13, her back would be in ample amounts of pain after a long day of model castings and how she needed her mom to put pillows under her back as she laid down. By 17, there are more noticeable physical changes such as her, “body [leaning] to my left side and my waist curved on my right side, but not on the left. My balance was off, one shoulder was considerably higher and my hips were uneven. All red flags.” After visiting the doctor, it was apparent that Hunt needed posterior spinal fusion surgery. As scary as the situation was, Hunt agreed to the procedure. Post-surgery, she was able to recover slowly, but successfully nonetheless. She shared that she was extremely hesitant about exercising throughout the first year after her recovery, but after “finally [gaining] the courage to get into working out…[she] fell in love with low-impact yoga and later Pilates.”
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Hunt told Free People that, “living with Scoliosis serves as a constant reminder to keep my core and back strong.” But not only does it physically strengthen her, but it also made her mentally stronger as well. In her patient story on the Scoliosis Research Society’s website, she says, “It was my ultimate motivation for a strong body and strong mind.”
I love her empowering outlook on her condition, it just goes to show how much of a boss Hunt is. Read her full story here.