When I first met Lyndsey about 2 years ago, I could see straight away how much love and passion she had for life. Something that we forget to cherish in our busy daily realities. A couple of weeks we set ourselves to take some photographs, that we actually had planned for many months (these things happen, right?) and finally I was down in Castleblayney where she holds Zumba classes, to capture this great energy that runs in her tiny but ever so strong body! Here she is! 🙂
“I’ve always loved to dance….for as long as I can remember. I’d be the first onto the dancefloor,and the last off it! It gives me immense joy,and is embedded in my soul,that’s the only way to describe it. But I never once dreamed that I’d end up teaching others to dance as a profession. To tell you how I got here I need to back track slightly. At 27 I got Breast Cancer. Yep,that’s right,27! I had been married 3 years,and had an 18 month old son. My world was about to change forever..and it did. After treatments,surgery,feeling good again,another baby…this time a daughter,I was told I now had Cancer in my other breast! My daughter was 2 months old,my son 3 and a half. This time things would be more radical. I can’t go through this a third time..so,I had a total mastectomy and reconstruction,chemo,numerous drugs,physio,radiation etc…and came out the other side,battered and bruised physically & definitely emotionally but hey,I was here! I now had a new outlook on things..they say Cancer changes your perspective on things..how can it not?! Things I once thought “I can’t do that!” “What if I fail?” “I’m too shy/embarrassed”…all went out the window and now I embraced anything. Someone said to me as I attended Zumba® classes regularly,you should be an instructor,to which I blew them off saying ‘Would ya quit,I couldn’t stand up onstage and teach people!’. Then I thought,why not? I love doing it,I could certainly TRY. I started on the journey of getting my licence,my insurance,my venue and went for it..with the backing of my family,friends and my own instructor then. That was 2 years ago. I now give 4 classes a week. I do fundraisers,parties,hen nights,Ive danced onstage at different events in Dublin,Dundalk,have attended numerous master classes and jams around Ireland,been to a London academy,and even been interviewed on Midday on TV3! To say Zumba® has changed my life doesn’t even cover it. It got me through the aftermath of cancer including Depression. I’ve met and made amazing friends,including Barbs,and if anything good came out of this horrible disease it has been this. I can’t imagine doing anything else”
You can contact Lyndsey here https://www.facebook.com/Zumba-Lyn-1407582269472226/?fref=ts
and here http://lyndsey101.zumba.com/
