The Remarkable Story of Megumi Vegso

“I started dancing when I was ten years old. At the age of 15, I received an invitation to join the Professional Division at the School of Alberta Ballet where I dedicated two years to the program. Unfortunately, I was compelled to quit due to a nerve injury in my foot. I had always aspired to be a ballet teacher, but with the prospect of a seven-year recovery before resuming my training, I decided to leave that chapter of my life behind to pursue university instead. 

Five years ago, I suffered an ischemic stroke that damaged my cerebellum, resulting in complete impairments to my walking, body rotation, and balance. In the end, the challenges the stroke imposed prevented me from completing my PhD program. My mother had never taken ballet lessons but always had a desire to learn. She expressed her interest in registering for classes at Ballet Kelowna’s In Motion program last year, and I felt that I may have finally regained enough motor skills to try it with her. Together, we registered for the intro class.  

Being reintroduced to Ballet after it had been absent from my life for 15 years felt akin to speaking a long-forgotten language. Executing the first retiré, arabesque, and pirouette this term was incredibly staggering. I felt like my body should have inherently known what to do, but the neural pathways were lost in the stroke. Nevertheless, accomplishing some steps and observing my progress over the term has been immensely gratifying. Ballet class has become the highlight of my week. These classes have accelerated the improvement of my strength and range of motion more rapidly than anything I had tried in my post-stroke year, and of course, sharing these weekly class experiences with my mother makes it so much more enjoyable!”