“Thanks to Dr. Driscoll and the POTS Care Team, I was able to do this”
Emma was diagnosed with POTS around 2017 and decided to come to POTS Care after many failed attempts to find relief for her symptoms and suffering. When she arrived at POTS Care, Emma had lost the ability to dance and participate in other activities that she loved due to being wheelchair-bound. After her time at POTS Care, Emma is back dancing and doing what she loves!
My dance studio has a tradition where each member of the graduating class choreographs a routine and teaches it to their classmates. This past Tuesday, it was my turn. I was so nervous. I was worried I would feel sick or pass out. I only worked on this routine for two days and I was nervous I would forget it while teaching. Between all of the challenges I have had to face, dance has been the place I can come to and just forget about all the different medical issues I’m having. I know I don’t have great technique or straight lines, but the fact I was able to even stand up there and do that meant so much to me. Three years ago, I couldn’t even walk. I was completely bed and wheelchair-bound. There have been many days I couldn’t even walk into the studio, but I pushed and pushed myself to get to this point. I knew going into this, I wanted to do something for all the people who are too ill to dance like I once was. I dance for you. At my sickest point, I was desperate for my body to work. It was shutting itself down and I couldn’t help but wonder, why doesn’t my body love me? This dance is the journey of my body and I. I fought for so long for my body to give me love. My body has put me under extreme medical circumstances and I was so angry with it. Why did I have to faint now? Why did I have to have a convulsion that day? Why can’t my body just function? But then I realized…my body is suffering too. It’s not just my state of mind. My body helps me dance. It picks me back up. It tells me when I feel sick and when I need to slow down. It’s helped me get through months without fainting. We’re in this together. So, this dance is a love song to my body, because, after years of fighting, we can now give each other love.
9 months after coming to POTS Care Emma is dancing!
