It was 8^th-grade year and Danielle Thompson’s day consisted of walking up for school at 7:45 am and then heading to dance right after until 9:00 pm. As the year went on a series of events occurred. Danielle got severely sick preventing her from living a normal life.

She started experiencing symptoms like lightheadedness, fainting, nausea, migraines, rapid heartbeat, and blurred vision. She would faint while walking upstairs or get nauseous in class. It was scary not knowing what was wrong and experiencing symptoms that prevent you from doing normal things.

After many visits to the hospital to figure out the problem, Danielle was diagnosed with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS).  POTS is developed from a severe illness or traumatic event that weakens your immune system.

POTS can be developed at any age. After being diagnosed the doctors told Danielle that it would go away after 2 years. Danielle is in her sophomore year of college and still struggles with POTS.

POTS has affected Danielle in many aspects of her life, but it has affected her as a dancer the most.

Danielle had taken 4 years off of dance in high school. She decided she wanted to get back in the game by joining Morningside University’s Dance Team her freshman year.

Morningside’s Dance Team was aiming for winning the National Championship title, so Danielle knew it would be intense. Taking 4 years off and joining a competitive team was a challenge.

Danielle described practice as being difficult. Walking into the dance room she knew her coach and teammates expected a lot from her. She explained, “Someone with POTS walking exerts as much energy in the body as someone running a mile, so when I do full outs it is really hard on my body because it takes so much more energy.”

Practices on Morningside’s Dance Team are no joke. Jocelyn Hendrix, junior-year teammate, describes the feeling of running through a routine. “You get to a point in the routine where your body just wants to give up, but you have to tell it to keep going and keep a smile on your face.” There are days when they run full outs 3 times in one practice. It may not sound like a lot, but a lot of energy is exerted on these routines.

When asked what it feels like to have an episode in practice Danielle responded, “It always starts with me getting really shaky. I feel like my body is underwater; like I was in a swimming pool. My vision becomes very blurry, and everything starts to slow down. I try to push through by taking salt packets or hydrating.”

Brooke Harvey, a junior-year teammate, also struggles with the same condition. When in practice they both keep an eye out for each other. If one notices the other is not doing well, they will make sure they stay hydrated or consume salt.

Despite these challenges, Danielle perseveres through practice and performance. It is important for her to take care of her body in order to be an athlete. When diagnosed, the doctors told Danielle they didn’t want her to dance, but because she took the precautions her symptoms have gotten better. She makes it a point to carry salt packets, drink Liquid IV, and drink lots of water.

Although physically Danielle has gotten better, it has taken a toll on her mental health. Danielle explained “It comes with a lot of brain fog, and it can increase feelings of depression because my body is exhausted. It makes me feel like I’m incapable of doing things on my own, so it makes me frustrated. I can’t take super-hot showers without fainting. I’m 20 and I feel like I should be in a nursing home.”

Even though it is frustrating and has gone on longer than anticipated she hopes to overcome it someday. It’s kind of a guessing game. Some people can grow out of it and others won’t. Danielle knows of a lot of people that have moved past it, so she hopes that she can.