Flower Mound sophomore Madelyn Modeste will be a doctor someday. It’s something she has dreamed about for as long as she can remember, and at 16, she’s already earned an internship this summer at Children’s Health Andrews Institute Spine Center in Plano. Last year, she was invited to the Congress of Future Medical Leaders honors program in Boston, where Nobel Peace Prize winners and even the Dean of Harvard were on hand.
But no matter where her future career takes her, Madelyn will always find time to write children’s books. After all, her gift for writing is helping kids across the country fall in love with books and learn to be brave in the face of life’s many challenges.
“I would love to keep writing on the side,” Madelyn said. “I had no idea this would be such a big deal for so many children.”
Her mother, Shauntelle, added, “She’s already spoken at several schools, churches, and public libraries, and in doing so, she’s kind of become a little hero to these children. They see her as famous.”
It’s easy to see why. Madelyn wrote her first book, “Mariella Can’t Wait,” when she was 10, drawing inspiration from a YouTube video by fellow young author and social activist Marley Diaz during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, she’s added two more self-published titles to the series: “Mariella is Frustrated” in 2021 and “Mariella is Brave” in 2025. Each book creatively chronicles the character’s journey through difficult times and how she solved her dilemma with skills such as patience, ingenuity, and fearlessness. Each journey was based on real-life experiences Madelyn was facing.
The third book dove into perhaps the biggest challenge of her young life: a surprise scoliosis diagnosis.
Madelyn was 10 when her pediatrician noticed a small curve in her spine during a routine checkup. The spine is supposed to run straight when viewed from behind, but Madelyn’s was slightly curving to the side. Scoliosis affects millions of children and adults worldwide and, depending on its severity, can lead to back pain, stiffness, muscle fatigue, limited range of motion, uneven posture, and even breathing complications in the most severe cases.
Ironically, Madelyn had led an otherwise normal life up to that point with zero pain or physical limitations. There wasn’t even a family history of scoliosis. And yet, the curve was there—clear as day.
Naturally, Shauntelle and her husband questioned the diagnosis and wondered if surgery was really the answer. In hopes of correcting the curvature naturally, Madelyn was fitted with a special back brace and told to wear it practically 24-7. She followed the doctor’s orders, but what was a small 35-degree curve progressed to 53 degrees within two years.
Madelyn also lost three inches in height.
“We went to four different pediatric surgeons, and we really felt comfortable with the last one we met with, Dr. Christopher Redman,” Shauntelle said. “He cared about Madelyn and explained that the curve would get worse if it were not surgically fixed.”
On May 6, 2024, Madelyn underwent spinal fusion surgery and had two metal rods placed in her back. The four-hour procedure went flawlessly, so much so that Madelyn said she barely needed the medication her doctor gave her.
She chronicled the entire journey in her book, “Mariella is Brave,” writing about how to transform fear into courage.
“My doctor knew I’d written a couple of books and said it would be awesome if I wrote one about this new journey and document my real-life events with scoliosis and eventually surgery,” Madelyn said. “He thought it was so cool when I actually did it.”
In an article published on the Children’s Health website, Dr. Redman said, “The book is really written for any child going through a major procedure, which I love. It can help any kid with a serious medical problem.”
Fast forward to today, and Madelyn is back to living her life normally. And her aspirations are bigger than ever.
“I aspire to be an OB/GYN, but I want to continue writing these books,” she said.
You can purchase her three books on Amazon.
Click here to learn more about Madelyn’s inspirational story. You can also purchase her three books, Mariella Can’t Wait, Mariella is Frustrated, and Mariella is Brave, on Amazon.
