I’m an Aerial Artist — Despite Multiple Sclerosis

March is MS Awareness Month.

As I said to Shannon Shelton Miller

In 2016 I discovered the world of aerial art. A friend posted about the class on social media, and when I arrived I found myself in a typical gym corner. But there was a beautiful silk in that corner, and I was obsessed with the artistry from the beginning.

Four years later, I was out of state, working a difficult job and experiencing severe stress. One spring day I woke up and felt nothing from below my belly button. I was type A and a worker, so I still got up, opened my laptop, and went to work. I didn’t tell anyone how I felt and just thought I must have been sleeping in a weird position.

But throughout the week the numbness continued to spread, extending from my legs to the left side of my body and onto my face. I was also suffering from vertigo and it was affecting my vision. I knew something was wrong.

I called my doctor, but since this all happened during Covid, the appointment was virtual. She listened to me and even suggested that I get an MRI from a neurology colleague. Looking back, I feel really lucky that I found that provider. Because she and her colleagues were fresh out of school, they seemed willing to listen and dig deeper.

Due to COVID-19, the wait for an MRI appointment was three months. It felt like forever and the symptoms continued to progress. One day I felt dizzy and couldn’t get dressed without falling. My fiancé helped me get dressed and rushed me to the emergency room.

When I asked to get an MRI in the emergency room, an older male doctor answered, “Women sometimes feel dizzy too.” He scanned the notes on my case and suddenly added, “If you think it’s MS, you don’t have the textbook symptoms,” and sent me home.

When I heard him mention MS, it was the first time I realized it could be serious. At the time, I didn’t even know what MS was and I was thinking the worst. I thought my dreams of aviation and education were gone. I thought I was going to die soon. I told my fiancé that he didn’t need to be with me during this time because we weren’t married. I understood if he wanted out.

Instead we ended up getting married later that week. I didn’t know why I was trying to push him away. I think he was scared, but he wanted to be there for me from the beginning as my rock and support system. It didn’t hurt that his health insurance was better than mine, and I had a feeling that whatever I was going through was going to be expensive to treat.

After an MRI, I was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS. An MRI revealed numerous lesions in my brain and spinal cord. Since then, I’ve had neurologists across the country look at my case and they all agree on the diagnosis.

2025 (Photo/David Tuman)

In order to continue doing aerial arts, my body has built nerve pathways around the damaged area, so it sometimes takes longer to process information. Messages from my brain to my feet have to travel longer around the damaged area.

I am now 35 years old. I haven’t had a relapse in five years, but my balance has definitely been affected. I fell twice last year, and it took me five years to experience it. I know everyone’s journey with multiple sclerosis is different, but my sudden and aggressive onset of symptoms led me to receive highly effective, powerful disease-modifying therapy from the start, which helped me recover from an early relapse.

I’m so glad I can still do aerials, but I’ve learned how to adjust and communicate when something goes wrong. If you feel dizzy, you will not levitate for safety reasons. I’ll wear manipulated silk, get low, and do more yoga and stretching than dancing and flow. When I teach, I am very open about my students and the studio where I teach, Aeriform Studio. It’s a very supportive and welcoming environment.

In aviation, people often tell me they wish they could do what I do. People’s photos make me look really cool, and some days I feel like I can do something really impressive. Other days I can’t, but this year I’m trying to share more about my recovery and slow days compared to my artistic photos and videos that don’t reflect my daily life.

To me, MS is an invisible disease, but I live with its effects every day. Before I was diagnosed, I didn’t do a good job of communicating. Ironic, considering I have a master’s degree in communication. I’ve learned that I need to communicate my needs, whether it’s asking my husband to walk the dog in the morning because I’m dizzy or finding a parking space at my full-time job.

Living with MS has forced me to slow down and listen to my body. Today in my advocacy work with MS organizations, I always tell people that they know their bodies best. If you have any concerns, contact your health care provider. If they don’t listen, see a different health care provider.

Your health is most important. Keep going until you find someone who will listen. Standing up for yourself can be completely exhausting, but it’s worth it.

Do you have a real woman, a real story of your own, that you’d like to share? please let us know.

Our Real Women, Real Stories captures the real experiences of real women. The views, opinions and experiences shared in these stories are not endorsed by HealthyWomen and do not necessarily reflect HealthyWomen’s official policy or position.