Newport resident Nicole took up belly dancing after recovering from a rare disease. 83700 Picture: DAMJAN JANEVSKI
By ALESHA CAPONE
A BRAVE Newport resident has became a brilliant belly dancer after surviving a rare illness.
During 2001 Nicole was diagnosed with Wegener’s granulomatosis, which only affects 10 people in every million.
The 27-year-old’s respiratory system shut down and she was put on life support for three weeks.
Nicole’s family was told she had a five per cent chance of survival.
She was transported between hospitals on an ECMO (Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) machine, which works a person’s heart and lungs.
Nicole’s doctors had to obtain government permission to use the ECMO machine, which cost more than $1 million.
“When I woke up from the coma, a friend told me I was destined to make history,” Nicole said.
“I became a belly dance teacher, I don’t know if that qualifies as making history but I love it.”
Nicole said she took up belly-dancing after being invited to a class by her partner’s sister.
Although she survived a deadly disease, Nicole said she was “very depressed” afterwards when medication caused her to gain 35 kilos within three months.
She also had to give up her life-long hobby of horse-riding, underwent large doses of chemotherapy and became infertile.
But Nicole said belly dancing classes helped aid her recovery.
She now teaches the dance style and said she enjoys seeing students transform into confident performers.
“I love the way the moves fit naturally with a woman’s body, it was made for women by women. Some people think it’s for men, but it’s not,” she said.
“We love to dance for kids, they look at us like we’re Arabian princesses, even thought I’m actually half Italian and half English.”
Nicole will start a new series of belly dance classes on 19 July at the Newport Community Hall, 13 Mason St, Newport. See www.bluefirebellydance.com.au for more information.
