Rebekah Schrader, 18, of Gloucester, has been using her art as a way to raise awareness for pectus excavatum, a condition where the sternum caves into the chest.
Schrader was diagnosed with pectus excavatum at age of eight. Children with pectus excavatum typically experience the worst pain related to this condition towards the end of puberty. When she was 15, Schrader was told by a pediatrician that she would probably be okay as long as she did not play sports.
In February, Schrader visited Gloucester MedExpress after experiencing chest pains for two consecutive days and shortness of breath. Medical staff there performed an EKG and took chest x-rays. She was told that her chest pains may have been caused by her sunken sternum.
Schrader was referred to a local primary care doctor and was given medications for pneumonia and inflammation to rule out those conditions as possible causes for her symptoms. The meds did not help and Schrader continued to experience constant chest pains.
After ...