I once thought my dancing days were over…
Beth Hope, 27, Cheltenham
Mum’s key rattled in the front door, and seconds later, she was in my bedroom.
‘I’ve had an idea,’ she grinned. ‘Let’s get you a wheelchair!’
I gulped, shocked. Only… was it the answer? It was February 2017, I was 20, and a year earlier I’d been diagnosed with ME and fibromyalgia, both chronic conditions causing fatigue and pain.
I’d suffered pain, exhaustion and constant viruses since I was 17.
It had flipped my life upside down.
Once a gymnast and dancer, now I could barely get out of bed to coach my weekly cheerleading class.
I spent all day, every day stuck in bed.
My pals, and younger brother Oliver, then 18, were at uni, enjoying student life.
I should be there too. I’d battled through to get my A levels, but had to sacrifice my dreams of being a primary school teacher.
‘A wheelchair would help you get some fresh air,’ my mum, Karen, then 49, said.
I didn’t want to be stuck in bed at Mum’s all my life, so I agreed.
She helped me pick out a bright pink wheelchair, and when it arrived, pushed me around the park.
‘I feel incredible,’ I said. A few months on, we upgraded to a powered wheelchair.
Though I had to be careful not to overdo it, I felt free.
Then in June 2019, Mum had another idea.
She’d spotted an advert for a dance class for wheelchair users.
I wasn’t sure, plus it was an hour away in Birmingham.
‘Just go once,’ Mum said. So, one evening, I wheeled into the class, called Freewheelin Dance.
Looking around, I was one of the youngest, but was thrilled to see others in their 20s.
I relaxed into the music, moving my arms and torso to the beats.
We did everything from street dance to ballet and I loved ever
