Annarose A. (8), a national title holder for amateur boxing, is preparing for turbinoplasty surgery on Thursday. During the past few weeks she has been visiting the doctors for more information and is preparing for the procedure. Turbinoplasty is a surgical procedure that involves the removal of turbinate bones in the nasal passage. It is often performed to relieve the symptoms and side effects of nasal obstruction.

“I’ve also gotten an X-ray of my head so the doctors know what to do and where to work with,” she said. 

After the X-ray Annarose took a blood test. 

“I got to take a look at some of the results from my blood test,” she said. “Some of it wasn’t too shocking being that I already know that I’m allergic to wheat, cats, and dogs. However, I learned that I am also allergic to mushrooms and grass. It is kind of ironic because I am highly allergic to milk but my body allows me to tolerate it. However, I am barely allergic to wheat but my body isn’t able to tolerate it at all.”

Last week Annarose had a pre-surgery consultation.

“They said don’t eat or drink anything from midnight until the surgery,” she said. “If I even have one drop of water before the procedure they will have to cancel and reschedule it. I won’t do that though because I want to be out of the ring for as little time as possible. They also said that it should be fairly quick, only 15 minutes. “

Throughout all of her doctor visits and the decisions made Annarose’s mother Rosalinda has been there every step of the way.

“I just want the best for her because I dealt with the same thing she’s going through for most of my life but ever since I got my procedure done last year I have been loving the effects,” she said.

By Lillian Altmann

Editor’s note: Brevard Public Schools policy prohibits the inclusion of middle-schoolers’ last names on district-sponsored websites.