Nationally-ranked teen snowboarder makes miraculous return to the slopes after surgery
By Marielle Mohs
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MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A young southern Twin Cities metro snowboarder is proving nothing will stop her from competing in the sport she loves.
Thirteen-year-old Brynn Rux is typically one of only a few girls taking on the terrain at Buck Hill in Burnsville, Minnesota.
“It took a lot of overcoming mental blocks and just being comfortable just being in the park with older people,” Rux said.
She picked up the passion at just 2 years old. Her training and goals were on track as a national competitor until back and shoulder pain started slowing her down.
“I knew it was getting worse, but thought it was probably just pain from snowboarding,” Rux said.
Her mom, Stefanie, brought her in to a doctor and when the X-rays came back, they were shocked to find a 56-degree curve in her spine.
“Even seeing her X-ray, it looked like it was broken. It didn’t even look like scoliosis. It didn’t look like anything I had seen before,” Stefanie said.
Last summer, Rux underwent surgery to correct her congential scholiosis. It’s something Dr. Joseph Perra, a spine surgeon at Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare, said was important to do while Rux was still young.
“Doing it a little bit earlier allows us to get a greater degree of correction,” Perra said.
Surgery required using two rods to straighten Rux’s spine. It’s a recovery that typically takes an entire year, but Rux was back on the slopes within five to six months.
“I know that I’ve gone through this really hard thing and nothing is probably going to be scarier than what I just went through,” said Rux. “If I can do this, I can do anything.”
Perra credits three decades of technological advances for Rux’s speedy recovery.
“(35 years ago) we would never let them go back to this level of sport or this quickly,” Perra said.
The surgery even improved her skills on the slopes.
“Some of the mechanics and physics in what she’s doing, it’s easier now than it was before,” said Stefanie.
Rux is more driven than ever, with her sights set on four years from now.
“That’s where I want to be, like the Olympic level or the world competitions,” Rux said.
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