By Megan Wehring

HAYS COUNTY — Hearing that something is different about you can be a tough pill to swallow. 

In 2019, Alyssa Jones, a sophomore at Lehman High School, discovered that she had severe scoliosis and needed to undergo thoracic fusion surgery in a short period of time because her curve was progressing at a rapid rate. This came as a surprise to her family.

“We made an appointment at the [Shriners Children’s] Shreveport Hospital in Louisiana for February of 2020,&rdquo...