HEALTH SCIENCE - NATIONAL MAG AWARDS The response to the story Amazing Brace has been overwhelming, with hundreds of letters received from scoliosis sufferers claiming that the MacLeans article about this Canadian invention has changed their lives. Sharon Dunn wrote the story to inform other desperate Canadian parents and patients about a Quebec brace used worldwide for the treatment of scoliosis, but virtually ignored in Canada. A Vancouver mother writes, 'the words thank you seem insufficient to convey my gratitude for your research and article on scoliosis. If life is a tapestry of events and people, you are the thread that has bound many of us together . Thank you for being strong enough to be the thread. Due to your research and article my(12 year old) daughter Sarah will have a brighter future. Another mother writes: "Dear Ms. Dunn, your article in Macleans magazine has been a godsend. If it was not for you, we would never have discovered the brace that has helped our 21 year old son. The brace has greatly improved his quality of life. Why is this life-changing Canadian product not in the mainstream of healthcare in Canada?' Franca... Here are more letters:: Sharon, Thank you for writing this article.... I had felt pretty hopeless about my condition, but now I feel like there is still some hope for me. Lauren, Austin, Texas Ms. Dunn, Thank you for writing your story, it has changed my life... Adrienne N. Wilson Hello, I am 15. One day in art class my art teacher noticed my back, and mentioned your article. Before I read it, I thought, 'that's it, this is my life'. Thank you so much, for giving me hope, and a chance. Shaheen. I absolutely BELIEVE in the SpineCor system. Jack Hanan, C.O. (certified orthotist) Brooklyn, New York I am 62 years old. Wearing the brace has made a big difference.... Thank-you for your article, Eileen The (SpineCor) brace is a wonderful event in my life. My quality of life is significantly improved. Thank you. Marie Suzette Drs. Rivard and Colliard, the SpineCor inventors from Montreal, have also received hundreds of emails and calls since the story ran, including a call from a 90 year old man, desperate to get help for his 61 year old son's scoliosis pain! Dr. Louise Marcotte wrote the following: Dear Sharon, I have been getting e-mails and phone calls from such desperate people since your article! Some have been suffering atrociously for all their lives and were never offered any hope for their condition. The worse thing is, some health care professionals are even discouraging those patients to actually try the brace even if they have nothing else to offer, while I know the SpineCor Dynamic Brace would definitely help. Mentalities change very slowly and although I am getting a lot of "Not Invented Here" attitude, I am confident that with wonderful articles like yours, we will be able to make it available to the greater public in a short period of time... I have tons of stories to tell you about people whose lives have been changed because of the SpineCor brace. Dr. Louise Marcotte, Montreal chiropractor