The Unseen

The Unseen

I was born without upper femur bones.
By 11 months old, they grew in.

Because my body couldn’t move, my brain adapted differently—it absorbed.
It memorized tone, light, the softness in voices, the safety in spaces. For example my first reaction to a wave in the ocean its not to feel, but hear and count how many seconds it repeats and if there is a pattern change in level of the sound and timing of the wave. I tuned into the rhythm of the wave vs the physical effect of the splash.
My mother is still stunned by the stories I recall from those early months.
I couldn’t run, so I remembered.

But what no one could see were the invisible battles that followed:
undiagnosed celiac disease, a malfunctioning organ, autoimmune storms,
a body that looked fine - but always in fighting mode.

My body never made early connections with coordination—
the very foundation of movement, sequencing, and spatial memory.
What most people master in infancy, I’m learning now, as an adult as a pro-am ballroom dancer.
I am stretching into abilities that were never given the chance to develop.

Just two years ago, I would stand in a ballroom dance class,
blinded by brain fog, unable to recall a single step of a routine for 20 minutes.
And it wasn’t just the studio—
I walked out of a grocery store one day and couldn’t remember which car I drove.
I contacted my doctor. I knew something wasn’t right.
At the same time, I kept showing up.
I danced. I moved. I fought for my mind.

Six weeks ago, that failing organ was removed.
And slowly, my brain began to wake up.

Now, if I forget something, I recall it within minutes.
Now, I know what my car looks like.
Now, I feel myself returning—
clearer, faster, sharper.

Now I am finally meeting my real self.
Gluten-free.
Inflammation-free.
In repair.
In clarity.
In truth.

Every moment feels fuller.
Every day, I am more present.
I am more me.

Healing—true healing—isn’t instant. It’s a long symphony.
And for many of us, it begins with listening to the body no one else believed.

Keep dancing and keep pushing what makes you grow. 

Photo by Szilvia Bartha