How the words of a stranger changed the life of another

"My journey with pole started in 2024. I had just been diagnosed with a form of heart failure, and everything felt bleak. Then, the kindness of a stranger changed everything.

At 3 and a half years old, I was diagnosed with AML leukaemia, leading to nine months of treatments, several rounds of chemotherapy, and a bone marrow transplant. While this thankfully cured the cancer, it resulted in spending the next nine years undergoing hundreds of surgeries and treatments due to complications caused by the transplant.

While I don’t spend as much time at the hospital now, I have chronic health conditions, use a wheelchair full-time, and have c-PTSD. The additional heart failure diagnosis made the start of the year feel very heavy.

I’m certainly no stranger to medical challenges, but having yet another diagnosis felt like one big step back. It meant a new lifestyle, a new medication, and a new worry about the future.

In May of 2024, while at an aerial show my sister was part of, I met Mitchell, whom I had met online through the pet community. He recognised me when he saw my service dog, Wren. It was so exciting to meet him, and he then introduced me to his friend, Amy.

Amy and I spoke for a while. Then she pointed to the flowing silks and swaying hoops, and asked, "Do you do anything like this?" To which I responded with a very surprised, "No", gesturing to my chair. She then said something that stuck with me: "Well, why not?"

For the next few days, these three words swirled around my mind. A stranger asked me, a wheelchair user and someone with many health challenges, if I did any form of dance or performance art. There was no judgement, no pity; just curiosity.

So, as any neurospicy person would do, I went down a rabbit hole of research. I looked for dancers who used wheelchairs, mobility aids, and who had a range of disabilities. It wasn’t long before I felt emboldened to give it a go. In my search, I was especially in awe of parapole athletes and artists - a whole subcategory of dancers with disabilities!

After those few short days, I messaged Amy - who happened to be a pole dance instructor at Altitude and an incredible performer herself - to ask if she knew anyone willing to work with me as a student. She promptly replied and said she’d be happy to learn alongside me to explore what was possible, how we could adapt movements, and just see what happens. I booked a session as soon as I could.

Going into that first lesson, I was so nervous. Previous physical activities hadn’t always gone so smoothly. I often sat out of school P.E., and many of the physios I’d worked with said there wasn’t much they could do with me. However, I went to that first class. I survived it.

And I absolutely fell in love.

Having done pole now for over a year, I can honestly say it’s been life-changing. Not only have I met some lovely people, but it’s also been slowly healing my relationship with myself. I’ve struggled with body image, disordered eating habits, and self-destructive behaviours, as well as anxiety and trauma symptoms. However, something huge I’ve noticed since starting pole has been that these thoughts have lessened. I no longer want to punish my body. I still have my bad days, of course, but my body is no longer my enemy.

Why has pole been such a big part of my journey? It’s allowed me to find out what I can do, rather than what I can’t do. I feel more confident in myself. More empowered. Even physically stronger. After so long of having no control over what happened to my body, I feel I finally have that freedom.

I’m incredibly grateful to have started this journey. I’ve had the honour and privilege of meeting so many beautiful people - pole athletes, artists, strippers, those who compete, and those who do it for fun - they’ve all been so supportive and welcoming. Both Altitude studios I’ve been part of have been so kind and accommodating, and it really means a lot to be part of the community and space.

This year, I’ve been working towards participating in NZAPP (the New Zealand Amateur Pole Performer Competition), which involves a stage pole. Stage poles aren’t accessible for wheelchairs, but I’m so thankful to Sarah from the Takapuna studio, who built a platform and ramp so that I could do this. I’ve been working with another instructor, Mel, for my routine. It’s been so fun trying new things with her and just learning. She’s also an awesome instructor and performer. For me, just acknowledging the progress that I have made since starting last year has been very exciting.

I am, and always will be, immensely grateful to Amy. Getting to work with and learn from her has been amazing. I’m pushed to grow, and always have the ability to say, ‘let’s not do that today.’ Each lesson is filled with fun, laughter, and kindness. I always leave lessons feeling great and excited for the next.

While I’m still very much at the start of my pole journey, I’m thankful for all the progress I’ve already made. I’m excited to see what happens next and to simply keep learning and growing. None of this would have happened had it not been for that one moment of kindness.

Since starting pole, I’ve learnt, and continue to learn, so much about movement, history, performing, and myself. All because of one kind comment. One moment of someone treating me with kindness. And one person who believes in me. To her, I am endlessly grateful."

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We are so grateful to have you within our Altitude community Claudia. Thank you so much for sharing your journey and inspiring others to try new things, even when they seem impossible in the beginning 🩷

Since writing this blog, we are super excited to share that Claudia smashed her goal of competing and performing at NZAPP and even came away with the Best Dressed Award! Congrats Claudia, we are SO proud of you! 🥰🥳🙌