Hand in hand with her husband David, the couple dedicated their time throughout February to April practising and learning new styles of Ballroom and Latin dance every week before performing them all to an audience on April 26th.
Denise credits dancing with keeping her moving and her pain at bay, despite the challenges arthritis has thrown her way. Denise has lived with osteoarthritis for over 10 years, a condition that affects the joints causing pain, stiffness and problems moving. It affects one in six people in the UK. She has had to undergo a foot operation and hip replacement.
Although Denise found the challenge enjoyable, spending time practising the art she loves, living with arthritis makes even the simplest of routines difficult and physically straining.
Denise explained: “Depending on the style of dance we are performing I have noticed different impacts on my body. If I am doing the Cha Cha this consists of a lot of twist and turns so, I notice a lot more aches and pains after but nevertheless I do see the benefits. At the end of the day, I love dancing and for me the social and enjoyment side of it outweighs any aches and pains.”
Denise is now able to dance independently and enjoy her dance performances, but this wasn’t always the case before she had her hip replaced in August 2022. Before having her hip replacement, the effects of her arthritis were getting in the way of her every day life including activity levels and even working. She recalls:
“At the time I was working, and my work involved a lot of standing, I just felt so off balance because of how bad my hip on that side had got. It was painful every day and I didn’t feel like I was as mobile and as active as I usually was. I have always enjoyed having hobbies and staying active but this was getting taken away from me.”
Almost three years on from her hip replacement, Denise and David took great pride in completing their dancing challenge whilst raising money for leading arthritis charity Versus Arthritis, as their daughter and granddaughter watched proudly on in the crowd.
Having raised £400 for the charity already, Denise plans to hold an extra raffle at a VE day event this weekend to top off her fundraising efforts.
Versus Arthritis is the leading dedicated charity funder of arthritis research and has been involved in breakthroughs over the years which have changed the landscape for people with arthritis, reducing chronic pain and helping them regain independence. The charity is working towards a future where people can live free from the pain of arthritis.
Bethan Thobani-Hacker, Head of Public Fundraising at Versus Arthritis, congratulated Denise: “Over 10 million people in the UK are living with arthritis and know all too well the impact it can have - affecting the ability to work, care for family, move free from pain and live independently. This is something Denise understands all too-well after being diagnosed with osteoarthritis over 10 years ago.
“It can be hard to keep moving when you have arthritis but staying as active as possible can reduce your pain and the symptoms of your condition and help you to stay independent.
“It is fantastic to see Denise put in so much time and dedication after facing many challenges in her journey with osteoarthritis, spending over two months consistently dancing to achieve her goal of performing at the end, whilst continuing to spread awareness of arthritis in the community.
“We are incredibly grateful for amazing fundraisers like Denise and David whose dedication and commitment really help Versus Arthritis to do all we can to achieve a future free from arthritis.”
To find out more about Versus Arthritis and the support it can offer, visit www.versusarthritis.org