There are people in the world who exude elegance and composure such as Audrey Hepburn, who had a beautiful grace and sophisticated poise about her. Then there are people like me who cannot seem to go a day without spilling food or coffee on themselves, walking into a piece of furniture or tripping over their own feet.
So when I decided to take part in an upcoming charity Zumbathon many people who know me expressed concern for not only my welfare but for the welfare of those unfortunate people in my vicinity while I Zumba.
If you don’t know what Zumba is, it’s a mixture of Latin music and dance, with aerobic exercise. But for me, it is more like a flailing of limbs as I try to keep up with the routine everyone else is doing and hope against hope that I don’t fall on my face.
I’ve tried it once before and was remarkably bad at it, but I’ve decided to give it another go after hearing the story of Braxton Lockie. (See story on page 15).
Braxton is a one-year-old boy from Langdon who suffers from a condition known as Dandy-Walker syndrome. The syndrome affects only about one in 20,000 and is cause by a misshapen cerebellum.
The result of the syndrome is Braxton is virtually locked in a body that he has great difficulty moving and just doesn’t work for him.
When I met this sweet boy, he had just woken up from a nap and seemed to want to show off a little bit as he stretched with great effort and was able to maintain a sitting position on his own for very short periods of time. His mom, Tara, told me normally the little guy can’t lift his head or sit up on his own but he made a special effort for me that day with great exertion.
I think the part that really made me want to participate in this charity event, happening May 25 at the Scandinavian Club in Calgary, was when Tara showed me a video of Braxton in the therapy pool at the Alberta Children’s Hospital in Calgary.
This little boy, who can normally hardly move on his own, was like a little fish in the water. He splashed about and kicked his legs, all the while with a huge grin on his darling little face.
This was a boy transformed. This was a boy who was free.
As a journalist, part of my job is to remain at least a little detached from the stories I tell and the people I interview, but when I saw how much bliss Braxton gets when he swims, my heart melted and I knew I had to help make that joy a daily possibility for him.
So as I write this, I am paying my $20 to participate in the exercise event in support of helping the Lockies purchase a swim spa pool for Braxton to have at home.
Currently, Braxton only has access to the therapy pool at the hospital for an hour once every two weeks. He needs to use this pool instead of a public one because he also has epilepsy and the overstimulation from the lights and sounds at a public pool can lead to a seizure.
I can’t support every cause I write about just because if I did I would be both poor and exhausted from the many fundraising events I report on, but in this case I can see a direct impact on one very special little boy and his family. To me, that is so worth the effort.
So on May 25, I will be putting on my best green workout shirt and heading to Zumba. I’ll wear green because that is one of the few colours Braxton can see and responds to.
Hopefully, my uncoordinated movements will help bring movement to Braxton, and who knows, maybe I have a Zumba goddess hidden somewhere deep within me.
To register for the Zumbathon yourself, visit zumbaforbraxton.weebly.com
To donate, visit braxtonlockie.com
