HARRIS COUNTY, Ga. (WRBL) — From hospital patient to state champion, 17-year-old Effie Ward has defied the odds.

At age 9, Effie was diagnosed with Chiari Malformation, a condition where brain tissue extends into the spinal cord, and double curve scoliosis.

Effie’s family worked with an orthopedic surgeon and pediatric neurosurgeon at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta where she had brain surgery to remove the fluid from her spine.

Effie says it took nearly four months to recover from her brain surgery, but her scoliosis required more.

She wore a brace for 22 hours a day to decrease the curve in her spine, which went on for three years.

“It was kind of a big thing for a nine-year-old to grasp with for most of the day,” Effie shares. “ I was gonna have to wear this back brace and it was

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