Introduce yourself.
My name is April Showers, and my pronouns are she/her. I’ve been a student at Sky Sirens for almost four years – and I do Lyra. Over COVID, I had a long break from Lyra and I am trying to get back to where I was before the pandemic. I would love to perform again in the future.
Tell us about your condition.
It doesn’t have a specific diagnosis, but it is a balance disorder. My inner ear, on one side, doesn’t work properly. It makes me very dizzy and I experience a lot of vertigo. I also get chronic migraines, which trigger my dizziness. At its worst, I couldn’t move my head or eyes without being dizzy. I felt like I was always on a boat. I couldn’t dance. I couldn’t turn around or bend over to put my shoes on. I couldn’t even watch TV, because things moving quickly triggers my vertigo. I couldn’t even roll over in bed without triggering it.
I went through a lot of meds and vestibular rehab – a type of therapy where you make yourself dizzy, let it settle, make yourself dizzy, and then make it settle. You do it a lot so that your brain can work out where it is in space. After lots of vestibular rehab, I could go about my day-to-day life but I didn’t know how I could spin in the Lyra – the ultimate test of your balance. I still get dizzier than most people, and always will be a dizzy person, but spinning in the lyra helped me maintain rehab. In fact, if I don’t do it for a while, I get even dizzier!
What do you wish people knew about it?
We spend a lot of time trying to get through the day, but people assume that you make it sound worse than it really is. When you explain an experience, they think you are being dramatic. I wish they would listen to experiences and believe our stories.
Is there anything else you would like to share?
I had done gymnastics and dance for many years but stopped because of my condition. I never thought I could find a place as inclusive as Sky Sirens, where I can openly talk about my experiences. It was just accepted for what it is, and everyone is so lovely. I am grateful for the culture here.
