Diagnosed with infantile idiopathic scoliosis, or curvature of the spine, when he was a baby, Max LeMay began a years-long journey of casting and wearing braces, which ultimately corrected his scoliosis to 0 degrees. His parents kept all four of Max’s casts and braces in their basement throughout the years because, they say, it felt like such a huge part of who he is. Now 11, Max and his family recently created two works of art by cutting up the fiberglass casts and plastic braces into small pieces and forming them into the shape of a spine. The different-colored pieces represent the casts and braces in the order of how Max wore them — including his first two casts, first brace and a special sleeping brace he wore as he got older.

To thank his Children’s Center care team, Max presented the artwork to his doctor, Paul Sponseller, chief of the Division of Pediatric Orthopaedics. He also cut up pieces of his casts and formed them into the shape of a heart to show his appreciation for pediatric nurse practitioner Kristen Venuti.