Allyson Melgar was diagnosed with scoliosis but that did not stop her from getting back on the field to do what she loves. Melgar shares her harrowing journey through surgery and recovery with FloSoftball.

Hi my name is Allyson Melgar, I am a 14-year-old pitcher and third baseman. I play for the OC Batbusters - 02 team. I have been playing softball since I was 6 years old.

On July 20, 2015, at the age of 13 I was diagnosed with scoliosis (curvature of the spine), a 57- and 22-degree curve in my upper and lower back.

This changed a lot for me, I had to figure out whether I wanted to have surgery or not. They explained what would happen in the future if I didn't have the surgery, but they also explained what could happen to me if I did have the surgery.  My family and I did a lot of research before I decided to have the surgery.

On September 16, 2015, I went into surgery at Children's Hospital Los Angeles and was in surgery for six hours. With an incision about 12 inches long, the doctors inserted two rods and 17 screws in my back.

I spent a week in the hospital. Once I was released, I did not to go to school for two months. I was homeschooled for two hours a day and my geometry teacher came a couple of days a week to help me get caught up.

During that time, I was not allowed to play softball, but I did go to see my team play and went to practices. Not being able to play the sport I love for three months felt like forever. I realized how much I took being able to play for granted, and I appreciated it so much more when I came back.

Three months after the surgery, I came back to softball. I figured getting back to the way I played before was going to be hard, but it was a lot more work than I expected it to be.

Before surgery I could hit 300 balls at a time, practice for four hours, run a mile, and do everything 100 percent. That was not the case when I came back -- I needed to learn limits.

I didn't understand that my body could only take so much after surgery, and it was hard. I started working more by myself, went to a personal trainer at 6 AM, and pitching lessons twice per week. 

After a while, I began to get back to my old self. After practices and games, I had to ice not only my shoulder but also my back. I had to take epsom salt baths and use a stem machine to help ease the pain.

The surgery changed a lot for me. I had to change the entire way I played when I first came back. It's been a year since my surgery, and it's been hard to get back to my old self. But I have been improving ever since. I'm happy I had the surgery, because I have more knowledge and experience than I did before.

Thank you for reading the story of my journey through scoliosis, spinal fusion surgery, and my return to softball. 

Allyson Melgar